Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03AMMAN1581
2003-03-16 14:32:00
SECRET
Embassy Amman
Cable title:  

(S) REPORT THAT 20 RUSSIAN MISSILE TECHNICIANS

Tags:  PREL MOPS IZ JO 
pdf how-to read a cable
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
S E C R E T AMMAN 001581 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2023
TAGS: PREL MOPS IZ JO
SUBJECT: (S) REPORT THAT 20 RUSSIAN MISSILE TECHNICIANS
RECENTLY ARRIVED IN IRAQ

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm. Reasons 1.5 (b,d)

S E C R E T AMMAN 001581

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/2023
TAGS: PREL MOPS IZ JO
SUBJECT: (S) REPORT THAT 20 RUSSIAN MISSILE TECHNICIANS
RECENTLY ARRIVED IN IRAQ

Classified By: Ambassador Edward W. Gnehm. Reasons 1.5 (b,d)


1. (S) On March 16, the First Secretary of the Thai Embassy
in Baghdad, Prasidhi Sochiratna (please protect),contacted
A/POL to request a meeting to "pass on some information from
my Ambassador to your Ambassador." Sochiratna said he had
just returned to Amman on March 11 after a month in Baghdad,
and had just completed the evacuation of Thai Embassy staff
from Iraq.


2. (S) When Sochiratna arrived to meet A/POL later on March
16, he passed over a single piece of paper on which the
following was printed. Begin quote:


1. Twenty Russian missile technicians arrived in Baghdad on
March 9, 2003. All of them hold Russian diplomatic passports.


2. They are not regular staff members of the Russian embassy.


3. They travel in cars with Russian diplomatic license plates
(No. 55). The cars are not part of the regular cars used by
the embassy prior to their arrival.


4. They have Iraqi officials attached to them.


5. They have been taken to an undisclosed location in Iraq.

End Quote.


3. (S) Sochiratna said that he did not know the source of his
Ambassador's information, but confirmed that he himself was
not the source.


4. (C) On a separate issue, Sochiratna also passed on that 38
Thai students who are studying at Saddam University and
living in dorms there have decided to remain and not take
advantage of the Embassy-organized evacuation. He said that
most of these students are from poor areas of southern
Thailand and are afraid that if they leave Baghdad now, they
will never have the chance to finish their studies.
Sochiratna asked that we convey to the appropriate U.S.
authorities the fact that these Thai nationals remain at the
university.




GNEHM