Murr Denies WikiLeaks Report that He Worked with US against Hizbullah

Naharnet ^ | Friday, December 3, 2010 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Elias Murr

Defense Minister Elias Murr was reportedly giving U.S. diplomats advice to pass on to Israel for any Israeli attack on Hizbullah, the Los Angeles Times quoted a leaked WikiLeaks cable as saying. Murr has dismissed the cables as "incomplete and inaccurate. The aim behind this is to sow discord in Lebanon," said Murr aide George Soulage. Soulage said that while the minister did meet with Michele Sison, who was the U.S. ambassador in 2008, a cable published in Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar on Thursday did not accurately reflect the tenor of their talks... "Murr is trying to ascertain how long an offensive would be required to clean out Hizbullah," said the March 2008 cable from former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michele Sison to Washington. The Lebanese army "will move to pre-position food, money, and water with these units so they can stay on their bases when Israel comes for Hizbullah -- discreetly, Murr added." The secret spy plane missions, called "Operation Cedar Sweep," came in several cables dated April and May 2008... Britain wouldn't allow Americans to stage the flights from an airbase it controls in Cyprus... wanted assurances that the entire Lebanese Cabinet, which included Hizbullah, and not just Murr had signed off on the missions and that captured Hizbullah members would not be tortured.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Ernest_at_the_Beach:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2637403/posts?page=6#6

[SunkenCiv]

I think there’s a movie idea in this story, “The Ghost of Mister Murr”...

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................