company:usg

Vault 7 : CIA Hacking Tools Revealed
▻https://wikileaks.org/ciav7p1

Today, Tuesday 7 March 2017, WikiLeaks begins its new series of leaks on the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Code-named “Vault 7” by WikiLeaks, it is the largest ever publication of confidential documents on the agency.

The first full part of the series, “Year Zero”, comprises 8,761 documents and files from an isolated, high-security network situated inside the CIA’s Center for Cyber Intelligence in Langley, Virgina. It follows an introductory disclosure last month of CIA targeting French political parties and candidates in the lead up to the 2012 presidential election.

Recently, the CIA lost control of the majority of its hacking arsenal including malware, viruses, trojans, weaponized “zero day” exploits, malware remote control systems and associated documentation. This extraordinary collection, which amounts to more than several hundred million lines of code, gives its possessor the entire hacking capacity of the CIA. The archive appears to have been circulated among former U.S. government hackers and contractors in an unauthorized manner, one of whom has provided WikiLeaks with portions of the archive.

“Year Zero” introduces the scope and direction of the CIA’s global covert hacking program, its malware arsenal and dozens of “zero day” weaponized exploits against a wide range of U.S. and European company products, include Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android and Microsoft’s Windows and even Samsung TVs, which are turned into covert microphones.

Since 2001 the CIA has gained political and budgetary preeminence over the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). The CIA found itself building not just its now infamous drone fleet, but a very different type of covert, globe-spanning force — its own substantial fleet of hackers. The agency’s hacking division freed it from having to disclose its often controversial operations to the NSA (its primary bureaucratic rival) in order to draw on the NSA’s hacking capacities.

The First Ecological Land Units Map of the World | Esri Insider
▻http://blogs.esri.com/esri/esri-insider/2014/12/09/the-first-detailed-ecological-land-unitsmap-in-the-world

The US Geological Survey (USGS) and Esri are pleased to announce the publication of the most detailed global ecological land units map in the world. This exciting new global data set provides a science platform for better understanding and accounting of the world’s resources. Scientists, land managers, conservationists, developers, and the public will use this map to improve regional, national, and global resource management, planning, and decision making.

This map as well as the data layers used to create it can be explored in a new story map that introduces ecological land units. The data is available in the form of services and can enrich any GIS effort.

The collaborative partnership between Esri and USGS resulted in a dynamic online map representing the world’s ecological diversity at unprecedented detail and authority. This work leveraged quantitative methods, geographic science, and big data produced by government agencies and the scientific community. To create this map the data were processed in Esri’s #ArcGIS cloud computing environment. This map provides new knowledge and understanding of geographic patterns and relationships by distinguishing the geography of the planets’ ecosystems.

To better understand the significance of the new Global Ecological Land Units (ELUs) map and the data behind it, I recently met with project leads, Roger Sayre, Ph.D., Senior Scientist for Ecosystems, USGS, and Randy Vaughan, Manager of Content Engineering, Esri.

Pas encore exploré
►http://ecoexplorer.arcgis.com/eco

http://blogs.esri.com/esri/esri-insider/files/2014/12/combo-1024x312.jpg

#cartographie #écologie #sols #terres #écosystèmes #ressources_naturelles

The WikiLebanon Files (Part I) : The Day Berri Called Lahoud a “Bastard” | mai 2007
▻http://moulahazat.com/2015/02/15/the-wikilebanon-files-part-i-the-day-berri-called-lahoud-a-bastard

1. (S) Describing President Emile Lahoud as a “bastard,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri used a 5/9 meeting with the Ambassador to seek USG help in derailing what Berri suspects is a diabolical Syrian-inspired plot Lahoud plans to implement to destroy Lebanon’s parliament. (Yes, gentle reader, the previous sentence is correct as written.) As if forgetting that he is the one holding the power to open Parliament’s doors, Berri outlined a scenario by which Lahoud, drawing on his insistence that the Siniora cabinet does not legally exist, will use a creative interpretation of the constitution to dissolve parliament unilaterally when it fails to meet in its ordinary session that expires May 31. At that point, Lahoud will argue that he is free to appoint a new prime minister and cabinet, without the need for parliamentary approval. And this sets up a scenario by which Lebanon is plunged into new legislative elections. The emerging pro-Syrian majority would then elect Lebanon’s new president, or the Lahoud-appointed cabinet would inherit the powers of the presidency. Describing the “plot” to destroy the constitutional institution he controls, Berri gave a very believable performance of vein-popping rage.

2. (S) As the new cabinet begins work, the March 14 majority would continue to recognize the Siniora cabinet and the existing parliament and proceed with its own presidential elections. Lahoud’s scheme as described by Berri would, at a minimum, set up two entirely parallel structures: two PMs, cabinets, parliaments, and presidents. But it would be more likely that Lebanon would be plunged into chaos, with institutions splitting and the army sitting on the sidelines as the two parallel structures battled for supremacy. To avoid this, Berri advocates a first step that we have long urged he grab: open the parliament, thus preventing Lahoud from dissolving it. He is now on board, but under limited conditions he seeks our help to impose with our March 14 contacts. We are inclined to do so, in order to avoid his worst-case scenario, but we have to consider carefully what tricks Berri himself has up his sleeve. When asked about the impact of potential Chapter VII approval of the tribunal, Berri threw up his hands: “approve it Under Chapter VII, Chapter 67, or whatever — I don’t care!” While Berri seemed to speak with far more candor than usual, we, of course, remain skeptical that the alliance he advocates to thwart a Syrian-inspired plot is a lasting one. End summary and comment.

Cable chez #Wikileaks (#cablegate) :
▻http://www.wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/07BEIRUT655_a.html

À noter : encore une très belle #théorie_du_complot contre la Syrie qui s’est avérée… fausse

Je vois que Tammam Salaam s’écrit aussi de cette façon dans les #cablegate, j’en ai donc trois de plus à signaler :

08BEIRUT1288 - 3 septembre 2008
LEBANON : WITH DAS HALE, VETERAN SUNNI FIGURE
STRESSES NEED FOR MORE ASSISTANCE TO THE ARMY
▻http://wikileaks.org/cable/2008/09/08BEIRUT1288.html

In his August 30 meeting with visiting NEA DAS David Hale, Minister of Culture and respected leader of the Sunni community Tammam Salaam stressed the need for progress in the Israeli/Palestinian peace process to defuse extremism in the region. Praising Hizballah’s quick admission of culpability in the August 28 attack on a Lebanese Army helicopter, Salaam opined that a “security by consensus” understanding was emerging between Hizballah and the government. Salaam stressed the need for more powerful USG assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, warned about continuing sectarian tension and rising extremism, as demonstrated in Tripoli, and expressed moderate praise for Lebanon’s top three leaders, President Sleiman, PM Siniora, and Speaker Berri. End summary.

(La citation qu’en fait Angry Arab est trop courte. Remise dans son contexte, elle ne me semble pas particulièrement scandaleuse.)

La même information reprise le lendemain :
08BEIRUT1296 - 4 septembre 2008
SUBJECT : LEBANON : LAF HELICOPTER ATTACK A HIZBALLAH ERROR ?

Minister of Culture Tammam Salaam told DAS Hale August 30, one day after the cabinet named Kahwagi as the new LAF Commander, that the appointment should give the impression that security is under control. Instead, the helicopter incident represented a step backwards. Salaam did not believe Hizballah would be held accountable for the incident, but credited Hizballah for not being “arrogant” in its public statements on the incident. Salaam added that what was evolving between Hizballah and the GOL was a “security by consensus” understanding.

Et quelques considérations de politique politicienne par Miqati :
09BEIRUT443 - 16 avril 2009
LEBANON : MIKATI CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ELECTORAL OUTCOME, BUT SAYS RACE WILL BE CLOSE

Mikati observed that the process of state-building was difficult. He said an April 13 attack on a Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) patrol in the Bekaa valley proved that “curing” one institution was not enough, if the others were still “sick,” such as the Justice Ministry or the Internal Security Forces (the police). He called President Sleiman “wise,” and credited him for acting as an arbitrator between Lebanon’s political factions. If the electoral outcome produced a moderate majority, including a group of eight to ten independents, then Sleiman would be strengthened, he theorized. Among the independents, Mikati believed that he, current Minister of Culture Tammam Salaam (Sunni), and presidential advisor Nazem Khoury (Christian) were among those who could bring about this change.

Censure d’al Manar, Abou Dabi est prévenu en mars 2006.

22.03.2006 : DESIGNATION OF AL-MANAR, LEBANESE MEDIA GROUP, AND AL-NOUR - Nyheter - Wikileaks - Aftenposten.no
►http://www.aftenposten.no/spesial/wikileaksdokumenter/article4025172.ece

Ambassador met with MFA U/S Abdullah Rashid al-Noaimi
March 22 to inform him of the USG´s intent to designate
domestically al-Manar Television, the Lebanese Media Group,
and al-Nour Radio as Specially Designated Global Terrorists
under Executive Order 13224. Ambassador noted that the
designation will take place on or about March 23 and left
copies of the non-papers and E.O.

#Liban #Hezbollah #Al_Manar #cablegate

Dans ce #cablegate, l’ambassade américaine au #Brésil pense pouvoir utiliser la communauté d’origine libanaise pour faire pression sur le #Liban.

9 octobre 2008 : LEVERAGING LEBANON’S DIASPORA FOR DEMOCRACY/DEEPENING LOCAL CONTACTS
►http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2008/10/08SAOPAULO542.html#par2

Brazil’s extensive Lebanese Diaspora, the largest such community in the world, contains important, influential people who want to work with the USG to help the cause of democracy in Lebanon, a position made evident during the 9/24-26 visit of Jared Cohen (S/P) and Janine Keil (INR) to Sao Paulo. The visit also made clear that an appreciation of the local Lebanese Brazilians’ ties to their ancestral homeland strongly enhances our outreach to this influential local ethnic and economic group. Brazil’s Lebanese community offers the possibility for a powerful “two-fer,” a local group that can reinforce Middle Eastern democracy and that is influential, in its own right, in Brazil. Brazil could become a model for Diaspora-mobilization for democracy in the Middle East and Muslim outreach in WHA, adding important transnational aspects to our efforts at Transformational Diplomacy.

Qualité de l’enquête étatsunienne : quand elle « rencontre » la communauté libanaise, elle se contente de rencontrer les milliardaires et des politiciens 14 Mars.

The flagship event of the trip was a cocktail organized by the Lebanese Consul General (CG) at his residence on 9/25, where he invited a variety of Lebanese-Brazilian interlocutors to meet with Cohen and Keil. This was supplemented by a visit to a local mosque as well as a series of private meetings with Banco Safra Officials, leaders of the Future Movement, and Lebanese-Brazilian businessman and billionaire Naji Nahas at the latter’s residence. The Community: Broad, Deep, Diverse, and Selectively Engaged

C’est fou ce qu’on peut apprendre sur les six à huit millions de brésiliens d’origine libanaise rien qu’en assistant à un cocktail...

Gaza, les câbles d’un massacre

CounterPunch a publié une série complète de câbles diplomatiques concernant la destruction de Gaza par Israël (décembre 2008, janvier 2009) :
►http://counterpunch.org/wikigazacables.html

J’en ai extrait quelques passages qui me semblent intéressants.

Le premier indique une prochaine opération militaire contre Gaza (« do something »), autour du 22 décembre 2008.

Criminelle de guerre :

Foreign Minister Livni, who is one of the primary advocates of an immediate, large-scale military response to the rocket fire, has instructed the MFA to prepare a diplomatic campaign to explain and justify likely Israeli military action.

Israël, se préparer à mentir :

Livni has instructed the MFA’s senior staff to prepare a diplomatic strategy to explain a large-scale Israeli military operation in Gaza. While international criticism of Israeli action is predictable, we anticipate that the tenor of the Arab and international response will be determined by a number of unknown factors, including the scale and duration of the operation and the extent of the damage to the civilian populations on both sides. There is also the question of an Israeli exit strategy: if the GOI decides to reoccupy large parts of Gaza, as soon as the smoke clears the Israelis probably will be looking for a third party to whom they can transfer responsibility.

La position abominable des américains : on n’est pas tenu au courant, mais dans tous les cas on se prépare à mentir pour soutenir Israël :

Our recommendation is that the USG start with putting the blame on Hamas for the illegitimacy of its rule in Gaza, its policy of firing or allowing other factions to fire rockets and mortars at Israeli civilian targets, and its decision to end the “tahdiya” calming period; and support for Israel’s right to defend itself, while also emphasizing our concern for the welfare of innocent Palestinian civilians and U.S. readiness to provide emergency humanitarian relief.

Le second câble date du 29 décembre au soir.

L’info qui va faire du bruit : les Israéliens disent aux Américains qu’ils ont coordonné les bombardements visant la frontière Gaza-Égypte... avec l’Égypte.

At 16:00 on December 28, the IDF bombed the Phiadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, destroying 39-40 smuggling tunnels. No Egyptian border guards were harmed. IDF contacts have repeatedly told DATT that the targeting of the tunnels was coordinated with Egypt, and that they had passed the coordinates of the attack points to the Egyptians to enable them to ensure the safety of their border forces.

Troisième câble, le 30 décembre.

Pendant le massacre de Gaza, la collaboration en Cisjordanie :

According to PA commanders, the two sides agreed to expedite coordination and exchange information on disturbances and agreed both sides have an interest in avoiding violent clashes. Separately, PM Salam Fayyad confirmed to the Consul General that Israeli MoD officials have expressed their understanding of the need to avoid confrontations in the West Bank. End summary.

According to PA National Security Forces (NSF) commander MG Thiab Mustafa Ali (Abu al-Fatah), PA Joint Security Committees (JSC) commander BG Qays Makhzumi and other senior security contacts, PA commanders met with IDF West Bank Division Commander BG Noam Tibon, West Bank COGAT Director BG Yoav (Poly) Mordechai and IDF staff principals late December 29 at Bet El DCL (District Coordination Liaison) office outside Ramallah. In addition to MG Ali and Makhzumi, PA police chief MG Hazim Attallah, Preventive Security (PSO) director MG Ziad Hab al-Rih, acting General Intelligence (Mukhabarat) chief Muhammad Thib Mansur, and Military Intelligence (Istikhbarat) chief BG Majid al-Farraj attended the meeting. Security commanders told ConGenOffs that they discussed the overall security situation the West Bank in light of Israeli operations in the Gaza Strip, and better methods of dealing with protests.

The security chiefs said Abbas and Fayyad passed a message to all Palestinian factions, at a PLO Executive Committee meeting on December 29, that only peaceful marches away from flashpoints would be permitted.

On n’est pas des collabos, mais enfin, on ne va pas raconter ce qu’on fait, non plus :

They said both sides also agreed not to leak substantive discussions about the meeting to the press, given the sensitivity of security coordination in a time of Palestinian outrage over events in Gaza.

Pendant le massacre de Gaza, Fayyad se dit « encouragé » par le comportement israélien :

In a separate conversation with the Consul General, PM Fayyad said he had received messages from the Israeli MoD on December 29 indicating that the Israeli security leadership understands the need for the IDF to deploy in the West Bank in a way that will minimize confrontations with Palestinian civilians. Fayyad said he was encouraged by the messages, but would watch carefully to see how these instructions are implemented by IDF commanders on the ground.

Quatrième câble le 30 décembre 2008.

La seul intérêt est de constater que l’ambassade se contente de rapporter fidèlement la propagande israélienne. Il est notable que le câble évoque des « destructions » à Gaza de manière générale, mais détaille les deux morts côté israélien (dont un soldat). Au 30 décembre, le décompte des morts était pourtant de 387 morts palestiniens et... 4 morts israéliens.

The IDF continued to reinforce and increase ground forces around the Gaza periphery, including robust logistical support and elements from brigades not typically deployed in the Gaza sector. No ground operations have been initiated; the senior GOI leadership is discussing a range of options. Air strikes during the early morning hours of December 30 destroyed a number of Hamas strategic and tactical targets, including a government complex in Gaza City. Rockets and mortars from Gaza continued to strike Israel, reaching as far north as Yavne and as far east as Rahat; one Israeli woman in Ashdod and an IDF soldier near Nahal Oz were killed in rocket strikes during the evening of December 29. According to the IDF, 93 truckloads of humanitarian supplies entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing during the day on December 30. During a strategic assessment meeting on December 29, PM Olmert challenged GOI officials to avoid talk of a ceasefire, and directed IDF forces to continue their operations with an undefined duration. An Israeli Navy vessel rammed a boat from the Free Gaza movement carrying humanitarian assistance to Gaza from Cyprus, forcing it to turn back. The Free Gaza boat sustained damage but was able to travel north to the Lebanese port of Tyre. The Embassy disseminated a warden message to avoid the 30km area from Gaza due to on-going IDF operations and rocket attacks.

Rapport du 31 décembre :

Meanwhile, according to press reports, the “security kitchen cabinet” of PM Olmert, DM Barak and FM Livni decided to reject the French proposal for a 48-hour humanitarian cease-fire, calling it unrealistic because it was not permanent, placed limited demands on Hamas, and was unnecessary as no humanitarian crisis has developed in Gaza.

Finally, the Bank of Israel has also given its approval for Bank Hapoalim and Discount Bank to end their correspondent relationship with Gaza banks as of January 1.

2 janvier : finalement les Américains font évacuer des ressortissants.

On the morning of January 2, Embassy Tel Aviv, Consulate-General Jerusalem and Embassy Amman facilitated the evacuation of 27 American citizens and their family members from Gaza.

A total of 234 third country nationals were evacuated through Erez during the day.

La question des ressortissants américains à évacuer de Gaza n’avait été évoquée que de manière discrète et approximative en fin de câble du 31 décembre. Cela dénote-t-il un manque d’intérêt de l’ambassade pour des ressortissants américains un peu trop palestiniens à son goût ?

The GOI is now working with Jordan to permit the expeditious entry of these potential evacuees into Jordan via the Allenby Bridge with departure through Amman airport. The MFA expects the GOI to allow the evacuation within the “coming days.”

Un autre câble du 2 janvier est tiré « GAZA CONTACTS DESCRIBE A MISERABLE LIFE UNDER FIRE » et rapporte des témoignages de Palestinien de Gaza.

He said his family could not take anything from the remains of his house, and they are sharing food provided by his hosts. The adults are eating little themselves so the children can eat.

She said her home has no heat, and her family must simply bundle up throughout the day for warmth.

She said she hates Hamas and sympathizes with Israel’s need to stop rockets, but commented that she sees little connection between Israel’s bombing targets and Hamas, and doubts current military operations will weaken Hamas’ grip on power.

She commented that Israel’s military campaign seemed more directed at destroying Palestinian civil infrastructure than degrading Hamas’ capabilities to attack Israel. She said moderates and civilians are suffering the most from the fighting.

He said his family has had no electricity or water for four days, and must transport jugs of water from street level. He said he does not go outside except when forced to look for food, but on a recent search did not find any stores open except for a donkey cart selling vegetables. He wanted to buy bread, but said the line outside the bakery was at least four hours long, and did not want to risk being exposed during airstrikes.

4 janvier, la collaboration égyptienne :

As of 1500 hrs. local on January 4, Egyptian military contacts said Egypt closed the Rafah border crossing on January 4 after the Israelis gave advanced warning of their ground invasion and additional air strikes on the smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Rafah border. According to the Egyptian military, the air strikes against the tunnels “appear to be effective” and the Egyptian Border Guards have seen “no tunnel smuggling activity” since Israel began bombing Gaza. The Ministry Of Defense will brief military attaches and diplomats on January 5 on their views of the Gaza situation.

Et répression des manifestations en Égypte :

According to independent daily “Al-Masry Al-Youm (AMAY),” on January 3, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) organized a mass demonstration of 10,000 at the Doctors’ Syndicate in Kafr El-Sheikh in the northern Delta. If this estimate is accurate, it would probably be the largest demonstration in Egypt since the Israeli attacks on Gaza began December 27. According to press reports, there were small demonstrations January 3 in the Delta governorates of Sharkia and Dakahlia. We have confirmed there were demonstrations January 3 in El-Arish approximately 20 miles south of the Gaza border, following the January 2 El-Arish demonstrations when police prevented protestors from moving to the Gaza border. A prominent blogger told us that the AMAY journalist whom police beat unconscious at a downtown Cairo demonstration on Friday, January 2, has left the hospital and returned to work. According to this blogger, the journalist told the police that he was covering the demonstration for “AMAY,” but the police continued to beat him anyway. The blogger said that the police prevented opposition journalists from covering downtown Cairo demonstrations December 31, and subsequently transported the journalists to a desert area bordering Cairo and left them there.

Autre rapport du 4 janvier depuis le Caire. Les militaires égyptiens sont toujours contents de leur participation au blocus d’une population affamée et bombardée. Mais ils s’inquiètent de se retrouver à devoir gérer eux-mêmes Gaza :

They expressed concern that the Israelis were attempting to sever Gaza from the West Bank, leaving an independent Gaza as “Egypt’s problem.”

Câble du 5 janvier, la collaboration française :

The Israeli press widely reports on the impending arrival of French President Nicholas Sarkozy during the evening of January 5. Sarkozy will meet with Olmert, Livni, and President Peres during the visit. Olmert spoke to Sarkozy on the phone in advance of the visit, assuring Sarkozy that Israel is making efforts to assist the population in Gaza as much as possible, and in this context, is transferring “considerable humanitarian aid.” Israeli media outlets note Sarkozy’s comments to three Lebanese newspapers that Hamas “bears heavy responsibility” for the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.

Censure militaire (on se demande pourquoi, avec toutes l’« aide humanitaire » détaillée dans tous ces câbles) :

The GOI continues to control media access to Gaza. Foreign journalists have been barred from entering Gaza since November 4, despite a December 31 High Court ruling that they be allowed in. Journalists on the Gaza border also have been pushed back as the IDF has steadily expanded the closed military zone surrounding Gaza. Most are now covering the conflict from vantage points northeast of Gaza around Nir Am and Sderot. On January 3, the IDF also confiscated the personal cell phones of soldiers involved in the ground campaign.

6 janvier, toujours une guerre propre et une aide humanitaire efficace :

Contacts expressed mounting anger at what they termed the “randomness” of Israeli attacks. CNN’s bureau chief described a woman at Shifa Hospital who said her baby died after four days without food or water.

Gaza American Corner director Dr. Awni Karazon, who has moved three times since his home was partially destroyed several days ago, told PDoff that he risked his life to return to his bombed-out house to gather some powdered milk, canned foods, and clothes for his kids. He said his old neighborhood was a “ghost town”. He managed to procure two gallons of water, a mix of 25 percent mineral and 75 percent tap water, being distributed by employees at a local mineral water plant. When asked if he might consider moving into an shelter for the displaced, Karzon said he would consider this only as a last resort, noting that the IDF had struck UNRWA shelters in the last 24 hours.

Pour rappel, le bilan du massacre de Gaza est de 1315 morts palestiniens (dont 50 à 65% de civils) et... 13 morts israéliens (dont 10 soldats).

#cablegate #Gaza #Palestine #Israël

J’aime bien ce #cablegate : en avril 2007, le président du Yemen, après discussion avec les Américains, apprend que le drone qui s’est échoué sur la côte était bel et bien américain. Il fait affirmer par la presse officielle qu’il s’agit d’un avion espion iranien descendu par l’armée yéménite.

UNMANNED USG AIRCRAFT WASHES ASHORE, OFFICIAL MEDIA REPORTS DOWNED IRANIAN « SPY PLANE »
►http://wikileaks.ch/cable/2007/04/07SANAA473.html#par1

1. (S) On March 27, Yemeni military officers discovered an unmanned USG reconnaissance aircraft (Scan Eagle) that had washed ashore on the Arabian Sea coast in the province of Hadramaut. The President’s Office immediately protested the incident to CDA and requested an explanation. Initially unaware of any USG operations in the area, Post learned after further inquiry that the reconnaissance aircraft belonged to the U.S.S. Ashland, which had been patrolling as part of CTF-150, 60 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast. The aircraft had crashed in international waters on March 17 and had not been recovered.

¶2. (S) On March 28, CDA spoke with President Saleh (who was attending the Arab League summit in Riyadh) via telephone and confirmed that the aircraft belonged to the U.S. Navy. He assured Saleh that the plane crashed performing routine reconnaissance near the ship and had not been operating in Yemeni territory. CDA also met separately with Interior Minister Rashad Alimi and Ammar Saleh, Deputy Director of the National Security Bureau, and presented both with general information on the aircraft.

¶3. (S) President Saleh expressed doubt as to the plane’s actual mission, but promised CDA that the ROYG would not “turn this into an international incident” and would instruct government officials not to comment. On March 29, official and pro-government media sources reported that the Yemeni military had shot down an Iranian “spy plane” off the coast of Hadramaut, after communicating with “multinational forces” in the region. Independent daily Al-Ayam (largest circulating independent newspaper), quoted an unnamed Yemeni military official as confirming that the plane belonged to the American government, but would not comment on whether the plane was shot down or discovered after crashing.

#cablegate #wikileaks #Yemen #Iran #drône

#Germany planning secret #satellite recon ? | WikiLeaked
►http://wikileaks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/01/03/germany_planning_secret_satellite_recon

Since the cable’s release, the German Aerospace Center has denied that HiROS is a “spy satellite, nor a secret project” and suggested that it would instead be used for “crisis management during natural catastrophes and for scientific uses.” But that wasn’t the impression U.S. officials got after the 2009 meeting:

The BND stressed that having their own national space-based reconnaissance assets will enable them to be a better partner with the USG by bringing more unique value to the table. The BND indicated that they are anxious to precede with additional high value substantive joint projects with the USG and hope that through a closer imagery exchange relationship, Germany could fill some of their collection gaps by gaining access to US imagery covering Iran, North Korea, China, and the Haqqani Network in the AFPAK region. Also of note, the BND also wants to work with the USG on GEOINT issues of mutual interest in Africa.

#usa #cablegate