British spy op wrecked peace move

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

A joint British and American spying operation at the United Nations scuppered a last-ditch initiative to avert the invasion of Iraq, The Observer can reveal.

Senior UN diplomats from Mexico and Chile provided new evidence last week that their missions were spied on, in direct contravention of international law.

The former Mexican ambassador to the UN, Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, told The Observer that US officials intervened last March, just days before the war against Saddam was launched, to halt secret negotiations for a compromise resolution to give weapons inspectors more time to complete their work.

Aguilar Zinser claimed that the intervention could only have come as a result of surveillance of a closed diplomatic meeting where the compromise was being hammered out. He said it was clear the Americans knew about the confidential discussions in advance. 'When they found out, they said, "You should know that we don't like the idea and we don't like you to promote it."'

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,1148622,00.html

see also from Sunday's Observer:

Spying games on the road to war
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1148460,00.html


Sean Penn's praise for spy heroine (Katharine Gun)
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1148459,00.html

on edit: -- Go KUCINICH!!!!!!! (from last link):

Penn was one of a number of prominent Americans, including black civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, who signed up earlier this year to support Gun's campaign. The campaign is being headed by Daniel Ellsberg, the celebrated whistleblower whose leak of the 'Pentagon Papers' revealed details of US involvement in Vietnam. The campaign has now attracted the support of Penn's fellow stars Martin Sheen and Danny Glover, the feminist writer Gloria Steinem and Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, whose life story was made into the film Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise.

The campaign was last week joined by members of the US Congress, who released an open letter to Tony Blair in support of Gun.

The Congressional letter was signed by House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers Jr from Michigan. It was initiated by Dennis J. Kucinich from Ohio and also signed by Raul M. Grijalva from Arizona, Janice D. Schakowsky from Illinois and Lynn C. Woolsey from California.

It reads: 'We cannot conceive of a scenario in which Ms Gun's actions would present a national security threat to the United States ... A democracy must protect the whistleblower from reprisal.'

[UpInArms]

1. war was never an option

for * and his poodle

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

2. Is there any chance this story will get legs in the US?

The Observer's led with it for the last 3 weeks, but there's been f-all follow up over here. Maybe when Gun's trial proper begins there might be something, but I'm not holding my breath.