Global - 30 new revelations from #wlfind

29th August 2011

Belarus (2005)
US Embassy staff in Belarus accused by state-controlled TV channel of espionage & revolutionary activities. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/11/...

Burundi (2010)
Quota system of female representation in government is not leading to improvement in women’s rights because they are placed in their elected positions by their male-led parties to meet quotas, and they feel constrained by and beholden to their party leadership. Professional women opt out of political life, leading to those represented in government lacking the education and work experience of their male counterparts. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/...

China (2008)
Nuclear safety at risk due to cheap, out-of-date technology. Cable highlights US lobbying and says that cheap, out-of-date technology is ’vastly increasing’ risk of nuclear accident. 20 out of 22 nuclear reactors being built in 2010 bypass technology that ensures automatic shutdown without human intervention in the event of a natural disaster. http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2008...

China (2009)
"The following is neither an overstatement nor is it hyperbole. It is a fact. The contaminated waters of the Pearl River and other water sources in Guangdong are as serious a threat to the region’s health and economic sustainability as the decline in exports, the closure of small and medium enterprises and the increasing utilization of land for nonproductive reasons." Local residents in some heavily polluted areas display effects such as cancers and bone diseases stemming from exposure to high levels of arsenic, cadmium and other toxins. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/01/...

China (2009)
Ambassador says "a peaceful resolution of the threat posed by North Korea might cause China to call for an end to the U.S. base presence on the Korean Peninsula" and expresses concern that in the future, Chinese leaders may exert economic pressures on U.S. allies like Thailand or the Philippines to choose between Beijing and Washington. The cable proposes strengthening military collaboration in order to ’promote trust’ between the US and China. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/01/...

China (2006)
Wal-Mart has unions in China but not in the US. The cable goes on to say that "The Wal-Mart unions have more to do with the role of politics in the ACFTU (Federation of Trade Unions) than with advancing workers rights." Wal-Mart hopes to showcase what a good employer it is, and hopes to eliminate some of the "hard knocks" it has received in the local and foreign press. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/08/...

Colombia/Haiti (2010)
In 2010 US tried to outsource small arms sale to Haiti through Colombia, Colombia declined. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2010/02/...

DRC (2008)
The government does virtually nothing to prevent children risking their lives for $1-2/day in mining sector. Many are suspected former child soldiers who have not reintegrated, others are victims of trafficking. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/08/...

East Timor (2009)
"On three occasions, in 1975, 1999 and 2002, Timor-Leste has been ill-prepared for full sovereignty." The reluctance to hold guilty parties accountable shows a lack of faith in the stability of Timorese society and creates a culture of impunity that threatens to undermine the rule of law and perpetuate the violent political environment. In this context, the United States is seen as an honest broker and does not have the same historical baggage as Australia, Indonesia, Portugal and the United Nations. The cable speculates on the leaders of the next political generation. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/08/...

France (2006)
UNESCO staff see the World Digital Library as expansion of America Cultural Hegemony - "Washington may want to assess how much of an obstacle some UNESCO member states’ attitude is towards Google and U.S.-initiated global cultural ventures." http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/08/...

Germany/France (2006)
The cable discusses Airbus A-380 competition with Boeing, as well as Forgeard/EADS crisis: Noel Forgeard’s unceremonious exit from the French co-CEO slot at EADS was for the good of the company, according to one of the embassy contacts in EADS, who described Forgeard as "an over-ambitious ’maniac’. The German-half of EADS never knew if he acted with the backing of the French government, or was promoting his own agenda. This was especially true last year when he attempted to abolish the shared French-German leadership structure at EADS and claim the top job for himself." This power-grab was probably driven by prestige. The contacts in EADS told the embassy that "from the German perspective, it made sense to preserve co-leadership at EADS for the time being because, as the French made the current mess, it should, after-all, be cleaned-up by a Frenchman." The cable also states that British BAE Systems was viewed from EADS’ perspective as a ’schizophrenic partner" that never quite knew "if it was a European company, or a quasi-U.S. firm. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/07/...

Greece (2005)
The scenesetter cable discusses the Greek public’s negative opinion toward U.S. policy: US perceived historical favoritism toward Turkey, American support for the former Greek military junta, our actions in Iraq, and US policy to recognize Macedonia by its constitutional name. In addition to this, "93 percent of Greeks opposed the war in Iraq and a large majority (80 percent) believe the U.S. plays a negative role in the worldwide fight against terrorism (incredibly enough)... This prevailing ttitude is based on a sense of insecurity about Greece’s place in the world and a traditional belief in the country’s victimhood at the hands of great powers." http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/03/...

Guyana (2006)
The embassy requested the establishment of a DEA Office in Guyana: "Guyana is well on its way to narco-statehood" and is involved in ’drugs for arms’ financing for insurgent groups like the FARC. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/05/ 06GEORGETOWN489.html

Ireland (2007)
The Irish Government decided that the importation of genetically modified (GM) animal feed is acceptable under its GM-Free Ireland policy. In a comment, the cable explains that had Ireland banned the importation of GM animal feed, Irish cattle and dairy farmers would have incurred significantly higher costs over the winter, which would have been passed on to consumers. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/11/...

Israel (2005)
A cable describes institutionalised discrimination and the denial of public services to its own Bedouin citizens. Despite their citizenship and the fact that Bedouins "continue to serve voluntarily in the IDF and otherwise support the state, media commentators and Israeli politicians often refer to the threat of a second ’intifada’ coming from the Negev Bedouin." The 70’000 Bedouins of the Negev community have never been included in GOI land planning, do not qualify for provision of any public services, and therefore do not officially exist on Israeli maps. Many Bedouin are life-long residents of these communities, but are considered squatters by the government. Without legal status, these communities receive no government resources, including municipal services and infrastructure development. The cable describes squalor and poverty of one of the villages under the heading "Is this Israel?". The Government of Israel decided to forcibly relocate Bedouin communities in order to create a ’buffer zone’ around an airbase because they feared Bedouins may acquire anti-aircraft missiles for use against Israeli aircraft, or to prevent vandalism and theft. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/02/...

Israel (2008)
Netanyahu told the US ambassador in 2008 that he could ’deliver two thirds of the Israeli right-wing’ on anything the US agrees with the Palestinians, whether on process or interim agreements. Another cable describes Israel’s political leaders: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likes to centralize control and keeps his own counsel, but he may advance the peace process. Interior Minister Eli Yishai is a loud opponent of the peace process and Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon is a controversial figure who Netanyahu regrets ever bringing into Likud. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/11/... Reported in Haaretz: http://www.haaretz.com/print-editio...

China (2007)
US Oil Firm ConocoPhillips warned about a conflict of interests in environmental emergencies. The firm is currently blamed for a spill in China’s Bohai Sea. CNOOC, the Chinese partner in the joint venture, "is essentially the company’s partner, service and parts provider, and Chinese government interlocutor. These overlapping responsibilities are a conflict of interest for CNOOC and hamper the effectiveness of the joint venture." http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2007... As reported in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environme...

Israel (2009)
Lieberman "unabashedly advocates transfer of Irsaeli Arabs" and suggests Egypt should give Gaza some of its territory. Lieberman is described as a "staunch supporter of the settlement project and a stern nationalist." The ambassador told Lieberman that "separating between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs is vital in order to maintain Israel’s security and preserve its Jewish identity." Lieberman "characterized PA President Mahmud Abbas as "very weak," and predicted that Hamas will "use" Abbas as a fig leaf of legitimacy for two-to-three years and then "throw him out." The Ambassador said that Arafat had left a lasting negative impact on the evolution of Palestinian society. Lieberman "characterized Hamas as disciplined, with a track record of delivering services, and less corrupt than Fatah." Lieberman said that he now worries about the influence of Hamas in Israel. "Within two years," Lieberman said, "Hamas will take over" the Israeli-Arab population. Lieberman argued that to avoid conflict, Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs must be separated. Lieberman acknowledged that this is "more complicated." On the status of Arab-Israelis, Lieberman advocated that all Israelis be required to take a loyalty oath, and that those who refuse be stripped of their citizenship - this would mean practically all Israeli Arabs (except Bedouins in the North) and some ultra-Orthodox jews. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/02/... As reported by Ynetnews: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,...

Italy (2002)
Political Director of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised US ambassador on best strategy to avoid a unified EU position against US attempts to conclude bilateral immunity agreements with EU states, which exempt US citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). While Italy would agree to sign the agreement, the Political Director explained that Italy’s public support and flexibility was constrained by "a strong and vocal domestic constituency in favor of the Court" and the fact that Italy had been the host of the signing of the Rome Statute, which established the ICC. "The notoriously unreliable and partisan Italian press" may lead the Italian public to believe that the agreement would undermine the ICC or contravene the treaty’s intent - and that statements made by the US risk making the Italian government’s job more difficult "in this public relations minefield". http://wikileaks.org/cable/2002/08/...

New Zealand (2006)
Former NZ Prime Minister David Lange’s private papers included a copy of highly classified documents. When he died the documents were archived and publicly accessible. Among the cables was correspondence with the US Embassy in which the U.S. Ambassador at the time expressed concerns that NZ anti-nuclear legislation "had eroded trust in New Zealand, thereby threatening intelligence cooperation." The New Zealand Star Times labelled the Ambassador’s language "a clear threat" and "bully tactics". The cable goes on to say that "The Star-Times article is an embarrassment to the Government and to the Prime Minister personally, since she is the Minister charged with intelligence oversight. It "raises questions about the Government’s competence and its "non-aligned" credentials." The Prime Minister instructed that the story be killed "as quickly as possible, so that she does not have to face questions about the U.S.-NZ intelligence relationship". The US Embassy would only address the issue with the press by speaking to "select journalists on our view of the former Ambassador’s comments about the importance of trust, stressing the difference between an honest diplomatic exchange on matters of mutual concern and "bullying." The embassy also spoke of strategy to "exploit while we can" a discussion on the U.S.-New Zealand relationship (and the late David Lange’s lack of veracity) in the press. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2006/01/...

Nigeria (2009)
Niger Deltans live and swim in crude oil spills. Environmental scientists described how communities in the Niger Delta live in the oil spills, walking through the oil daily. A scientist had seen young boys "swimming in the crude" topping the water of a creek. On average, officials estimated three oil spills take place every day in the Niger Delta; the total number of spills reported by their agency annually is from 1,250-1,300, although the area covered by the spills is not known. Exposure to the components in crude oil are well known, and include lungs-, liver-, kidney-, and colon cancer, as well as asthma, blood diseases, mongoloidism and premature births. Children are at higher risk because their short stature places them in the heaviest concentration of the vapor zone above the exposed crude oil. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/03/...

Philippines (2005)
Ambassador calls Philippine National Police ’a mess’ and fears in the absence of reform Philippines will enter a disastrous human rights climate and undermine efforts to combat terrorism, narcotics trafficking, human trafficking. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/04/... As reported in ABS-CBN News: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/-depth/0...

Rwanda (2007)
Rwanda’s Police Commissioner justified to US embassy extra-judicial killings of common criminals, including a man accused of stealing electrical cable, by saying they were ’of extreme criminal character’ and had ’genocide ideology’. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/05/...

South Korea (2010)
Korea sells "experimental" Nuclear Reactor to Jordan, wants to sell to Turkey and the UAE. Korea is constructing 10 nuclear power plants and plans to build six more by 2020. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/12/...

Spain (2009)
U.S. Lobbying by Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), succeeded in having President Obama put pressure on President Zapatero regarding internet piracy in a 13 October 2009 meeting. In the meeting with Obama, Zapatero cited Spain’s track-record of attracting foreign investment and suggested ’improving’ IPR laws to attract more foreign investment. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/10/...

Sudan (2007)
Minister of Energy admitted Sudanese National Intelligence Security Services connections with private oil field security. The cable details reports that private security forces with ties to NISS essentially act as a militia controlled by the government, often better equipped than the army. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/07/...

Turkey (2005)
Letter from Armenian President to Turkey’s President regarding establishing diplomatic relations and opening borders with no pre-conditions. The cable’s comments address Turkey’s three excuses for not opening the borders (Armenia’s insistence on Genocide recognition; Armenians have not reaffirmed Turkey’s territorial integrity; the unresolved Nagorno Karabakh conflict), and revisionist efforts by Turkey regarding the Armenian genocide, such as Parliament’s calls on third countries (such as the UK) to "revisit, review and revise their own archives". http://wikileaks.org/cable/2005/04/...

UN Geneva (2007)
UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions letter to US Mission regarding five cases of murder and manslaughter by US army personnel that were not submitted to court martial. One of them concerns the killing in Iraq in 2003 of Mazen Dana, a journalist who had worked for Reuters for ten years, who was shot because his camera was mistaken for a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG). An investigation by the military had concluded that the incident had been an "accidental death", and the soldier would not prosecuted for any crime because he believed Mr. Dana was a hostile combatant and the "soldier thought the device was a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) Launcher, but it was later determined to be a news agency videocamera."

The Special Rapporteur stated that: "While I do not wish to prejudge the accuracy of these allegations, I would note that, if they were accurate they might give rise to concern about the extent to which your Government is consistently imposing effective penal sanctions for grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions and, more generally, consistently prosecuting and punishing the unlawful use of lethal force." http://wikileaks.org/cable/2007/05/...

US State Department (2010)
The global shortage of Helium-3 (He-3), an isotope used for nuclear security and safeguards, stymied the global Megaport and SLD nuclear smuggling detection initiatives. The supply of He-3 will soon be short of projected demand by a factor of 10. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2010/01/...

UAE (2009)
UAE telecom giant (owned 60% by UAE government) Estisalat installs spyware developed by US Firm SS8 for local Blackberrys. Estilat denied that the "performance enhancing patch" was spyware, but Canadian Blackberry developer RIM refuted this and gave instructions on how to remove it. The spyware was installed after Etisalat sent a text message to Blackberry users: "Etisalat is always keen to provide you with the best BlackBerry service and ultimate experience, for that we will be sending you a performance enhancement patch that you need to install on your device." The story was reported in Arabic as well as the English-speaking press, although few publically speculated why and at whose bequest Etisalat had been installing Spyware. http://wikileaks.org/cable/2009/08/...