Norway’s AFTENPOSTEN newspaper claims to have received the entire cache of Cablegate diplomatic cables. So far they’ve restricted themselves to releasing correspondence relating to US-Norwegian relations, revealing particular Norwegians doing America’s bidding, from those with “strong pro-US instincts, to another considered by “some very senior U.S. officials” to be “weasily.”
From the cable about weasily Norwegian Ministry of Defense State Secretary Espen Barth Eide who’s played a key role in keeping Norwegian troops in Afghanistan and tried to manipulate his Government to support US machinations in Haiti, these misgivings:
Senior Norwegian officials, with strong pro-U.S. instincts, have also told the Embassy in private that Barth Eide is not to be relied upon to promote U.S. priorities. One key test of Barth Eide´s inclinations will be the MOD recommendation on which fighter plane to purchase, the Joint Strike Fighter or the Saab Gripen.
News as well to Norwegians is a cable about Oslo’s regional governor collaborating with US plans to move/expand its embassy which had been meeting with severe resistance from the public.
Although the AFTENPOSTEN is published in Norwegian, the cables are being reprinted in their original, Here’s a listing of what’s out so far:
Dokumentene fra USAs ambassader
OSLO REGIONAL GOVERNOR OFFERS SUPPORT FOR NEW AMERICAN EMBASSY PROJECT (15.12 2010)
NORWAY: A POTENTIAL HAVEN FOR WAR CRIMINALS?
(15.12 2010)
ESPEN BARTH EIDE, POWER IN NORWAY´S MOD AND RISING STAR IN THE LABOR PARTY (16.12 2010)
RISING NORWEGIAN ANTI-SEMITISM AFFECTING ITS ROLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST? (15.12 2010)
13.2.2009: CONSTRAINTS ON NORWAY´S MIDDLE EAST ROLE? (15.12 2010)
NORWEGIAN LAWYERS SUE ISRAEL FOR WAR CRIMES ABUSES (15.12 2010)
NORWAY WILL NOT PUBLICLY SUPPORT UN 1267 KREKAR DESIGNATION (15.12 2010)
GOJ TO APPROACH DUTCH TO ASK THAT MULLAH KREKAR NOT BE EXPELLED TO NORWAY (15.12 2010)
MULLAH KREKAR CASE: STATE OF PLAY IN JORDAN (15.12 2010)
OSLO NEC – THE HIGH COSTS OF FREEZING THE PROJECT (15.12 2010)
21.5.2003: Tigers issue hard-edged letter demandinginterim structure in north/east (19.12 2010)
11.2.2009: Norwegian FM Stoere: The world at his feet (15.12 2010)
16.6.2003: Tensions notch up over sinking of Tamil Tigership and latest slaying of a Tiger opponent (19.12 2010)
15.7.2003: Tigers still refusing request from monitors tovacate forward base (19.12 2010)
11.8.2003: LTTE base issue; Tigers get ready for Paris meeting (19.12 2010)
4.11.2003: Provoking political crisis, President fires three key ministers and suspends Parliament (19.12 2010)
23.10.2003: President demands removal of chief monitor, but it is not clear how far she wants to push matter (19.12 2010)
5.11.2003: President Affirms Commitment to Negotiated Settlement and Cease-fire (19.12 2010)
12.11.2003: Sri Lanka update: No resolution in “cordial” President-PM meeting; Norwegians here to meet all sides (19.12 2010)
17.11.2004: Possible ways forward in political standoff between Sri Lankan President and Prime Minister (19.12 2010)
6.3.2004: Ignoring orders of LTTE leadership, rebel commander remains ensconced in east (19.12 2010)
9.6.2004: Recent meetings show the way forward for Sri Lanka peace process is troubled (19.12 2010)
15.4.2004: In meeting, Norwegian Ambassador reviews recent discussion with President on peace process (19.12 2010)
17.6.2004: Talks about Talks in Stasis while Norwegians Ponder Next Moves (19.12 2010)
23.6.2004: Norwegian peregrinations for peace (19.12 2010)
20.4.2004: Norwegian envoy Solheim finds GSL and LTTE committed to peace process (19.12 2010)
6.12.2004: “Low key” Norwegian visit to Wanni (19.12 2010)
29.11.2004: Norwegians concerned by JVP-orcheastrated campaign against them (19.12 2010)
23.1.2006: U/S Burns reviews Sri Lankan peace process with Norwegian facilitator Erik Solheim (19.12 2010)
Here’s an excerpt about the US ambassador’s concern about “growing anti-Semitic” criticism of Israel’s attack on Gaza:
4/27/2009 12:55
C O N F I D E N T I A L OSLO 000315 SIPDIS E.O. 12958:
DECL: 04/27/2019
TAGS: PREL, PINR, PHUM, IS, NO
SUBJECT: NORWEGIAN LAWYERS SUE ISRAEL FOR WAR CRIMES ABUSES…
More recently, the Israeli Ambassador formally protested Norwegian Foreign Minister Stoere’s decision to stay in the room at the UN Racism Conference in Geneva during the Iranian President´s speech. The Ambassador also confidently told us that the embassy will likely sue the Norwegian National Broadcasting Company for what they perceive to be very biased news magazine reporting on Hezbollah and the Gaza war.
WHITNEY
We call it the Iraq War, as we did the Vietnam War, but America’s wars aren’t so-named in the host countries. It’s the Iraq Invasion, not War, and Afghanistan Invasion really, now Occupation, Decimation and Holocaust. Journalist filmmaker John Pilger subscribes to the theory that if a public is let to see the horrors of war, it will refuse to participate. His new documentary 
To complain that a wikileaked list of off-US-soil 
Crap. The Anti-Apartheid BDS campaign targeted Cannes because of it, Hollywood luminaries boycotted the Toronto Film Festival over the same principles in 2009, you’d think the Springs gay community might have paid heed. Instead the 
Penny auction scammers know their audience. Stupid Americans aren’t going to recognize one phony news reporter over another, even if it’s French anchorwoman 
You thought death squads were only for banana republics? Meet covert US 
And lookey here, the 7th Special Forces have a patch for their record in El Salvador in 1984…
Pardon the delay, but when an activist is arrested for the 
The evidence which the ATF asserts corroborates Bond’s taped admission is his “VEGAN” tattoo and the aforementioned “propaganda.”
Plans are once again underway for another attempt to run the blockade of Gaza. Two ships are set to sail from Lebanon today or tomorrow, despite intimidation from Israel –which worked to prevent the aid ship 
Meanwhile another flotilla is in the works for September, which may include 
The naming of “Maryam” or 
adventure shopping, gambling scenarios or lotteries. They are con games that lead you to believe you are getting something for your money, until you don’t.
Just because YOU can figure it out -from an objective distance- doesn’t mean Quibids is not patently dishonest. US laws governing fraud are enforced by local statutes, but common law is enough to define this internet scam as representation of falsehood with the intent to profit. Whether or not the auctions use shill bidders, or fail to honor unprofitable outcomes, as have been accused by disgruntled victims, the websites are misrepresentations. The former are obvious illegal practices. The latter is fraud. Or are we so cynical that we accept this kind of scam as merely “predatory capitalism?”
A scan of the various “penny auction” websites would seem to indicate they are using identical software. That opens a whole other can of worms, doesn’t it? This could be an installation one can license, just as one would WordPress or Zen Cart. In fact there is a PHP setup marketed by 
Layers of press releases and paid editorial columns appear to shore up a single real news item which the Quibids outfit eked from an Oklahoma news team earlier this year.
Quibids hasn’t chintzed on PR, but they do appear to lack for real faces to front their operation…
Have a look at who NEWS9 is interviewing for the so-called customer testimonial. The kyron reads “Zach Stevens” who purports to be thrilled with the deal he’s gotten on Quibids.
Do we know whether this interview footage was pre-packaged for the NEWS9 team? The distinction is unimportant, but we might note that the cuffed sleeve does not belong to the female reporter.
But enlarged in these captures, a closeup of “Zach’s” laptop and username reveals this “customer” is none other than Quibids’ owner Matt Beckham, smiling like he has no idea the perp walk that awaits him.
The MV Rachel Corrie set off from Ireland in darkness, prohibiting a public sendoff and certainly any good pictures. Their strategy to confront the Israeli navy during daylight presumes they will be able to cache whatever footage they get of their interception. Without third party witnesses, whatever befalls the relief ship will never see the light of day, even in the light of day.
Photos of the Rachel Corrie have been so sparse that media outlets are still using the image used on the Corrie’s unveiling, featuring a Photoshopped logo on her stern. Her previous name was still the Linda, but enthusiastic activists no doubt wanted to get the ball rolling.
into port by Israeli pilots. If the IDF account is to be believed, the activists offered the boarding party a ladder. So there it was, broad daylight, not a reporter present, in international waters where observers would have had every right to be.
Did it happen? I was beginning to wonder if the MV Rachel Corrie existed at all. Imagine donors and well-wishers and even the seasick crew told this is about aid, not publicity. It’s about one shipload, not the hundred ships Gaza needs. It seemed a cruel joke to make Gazans hopeful based on an effort that was never tangable, and then ultimately would never reach them.
