VATICAN: IRAQI AMBASSADOR WARNS OF UNIFIED ISLAMIC THREAT

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 000183

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 9/1/2031
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL PTER IZ VT
SUBJECT: VATICAN: IRAQI AMBASSADOR WARNS OF UNIFIED ISLAMIC THREAT

VATICAN 00000183 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Sandrolini, CDA, AMEMB VATICAN,
STATE.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



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Summary
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1. (C) Summary: Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See Yelda, sees
severe consequences to western interests should radical Shia and
Sunni factions ever put aside their differences and unite.
Yelda, an Assyrian Christian, counseled the U.S. to take steps
now to combat this possibility by portraying Iran as an
anti-Arab Shia State bent on domination over Arab nations.
Yelda said radical Islamic elements were recruiting
western-looking women from Albania and Bosnia for nearly
undetectable suicide missions in western nations and how efforts
to recruit Arabic speakers by U.S.G. agencies were being
exploited to infiltrate those agencies. Yelda, whose
information sources are unclear, also discussed the presence of
an active former regime network within Iraq's MFA.

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An Unified Islamic Front Cannot Be Permitted
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2. (C) Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See Albert Yelda warned
PolOffs in an August 28 meeting that the U.S. must take whatever
steps are necessary to prevent the formation of a unified
Islamic force throughout the world or we would all "suffer the
consequences". Yelda stated that the coalescing of radical
Sunni and Shia factions would be disastrous for the West,
leading to an onslaught of world-wide terrorism. While moderate
Shia and Sunni factions can cooperate without adverse
consequences, Yelda counseled that the U.S. needs to take
affirmative steps now to prevent the reality of a unified
radical Sunni and Shiite coalition.


3. (C) The key to keeping radical Shia and Sunni forces from
coalescing under a United Islamic Front said Yelda, is to
isolate Iran from the Arab States and to never permit Iran to
take a leadership role in the Islamic world. One way of
accomplishing this goal, said Yelda, would be to ensure the Arab
States never forget that it was Iran that had repeatedly
attacked Iraq, an Arab nation with a Sunni population, during
the Iran-Iraq War.

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Yelda: Lebanon Conflict Was A Disaster For U.S.
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4. (C) Addressing the recent conflict in Lebanon, Yelda said
the end result could not have turned out worse for the United
States and its allies. Israel, he said, should have been
allowed sufficient time to eradicate Hezbollah entirely from
Lebanon. Instead, we are now faced with an Arab world which
sees Hezbollah as the victor and Iran as a supporter of Arab
rights said Yelda. There is also new-found - and troubling -
unity among Shia and Sunnis when the subject turns to this
recent conflict.

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Blue-Eyed and Blond: New Age Suicide Bombers
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5. (C) Yelda warned of the growing menace from the recruitment
of female suicide bombers from Albania, Bosnia, and other
European countries. These bombers, unlike the female "Wafa"
suicide bombers from Palestine and Sudan, will be extremely
difficult to detect and stop in western countries because of
their western features, said Yelda. What makes the recruitment
of these western women especially insidious, said Yelda, is that
they have no foundation in what it is to be a Muslim and cannot,
therefore, interpret the Koran correctly for themselves.

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October 2005 Vatican Attack Foiled
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6. (C) Yelda claimed he had helped gather information used to
foil an Islamist suicide plot to crash airplanes into St.
Peter's Basilica in October 2005. The information was provided
to Vatican security officials, said Yelda, which took measures
to prevent the attack. Yelda further explained that Islamists
view the Vatican as sympathetic to the West and Israel and was,
therefore, a legitimate target.


VATICAN 00000183 002.2 OF 002


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Former Regime Network Powerful Within MFA
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7. (C) Remarking on how he was saddled with inexperienced and
incompetent staff at his Embassy, Yelda said he had just
received a new administrative officer who was older and more
experienced. Regretfully, I cannot use him, said Yelda, because
he was sent by the "former regime network" to keep an eye on me.
(Comment: In scheduling our appointment, Yelda insisted on
meeting away from the Iraqi Embassy because of privacy concerns.
Interestingly, Yelda's personal staff assistant, who
accompanied us to the meeting, is a Sri Lankan national).


8. (S) "I'm not sure why MFA Minister Zebari continues to allow
these people to remain in positions of power" said Yelda,
referring to the former regime personnel in Iraq's diplomatic
service. Muhamed Mahmood Al-Ameli, Ambassador to Italy, is an
example of a former regime member who should not have been
allowed to continue, said Yelda. Yelda also mentioned the Iraqi
Ambassador to Jordan, Atah Razak, formerly a senior MFA official
as the ringleader of the former regime network within Iraq's MFA.

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Watch the Interpreters
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9. (C) Addressing the methods used by radical Islamic groups to
target western powers, Yelda pointed to U.S. efforts to recruit
Arabic speakers and interpreters as an example of a
vulnerability the Islamists have exploited. "Your intelligence
and immigration services have hired many dedicated Islamists as
interpreters and translators," Yelda claimed. "These are not
stupid people; as soon as your people started recruiting for
Arabic speakers, the Islamists sent you their best and brightest
in an effort to penetrate your government," he continued. Yelda
said the U.S. should watch exactly how these translators
interpret the words of Islamists entering the U.S. "I guarantee
you'll be surprised at what you hear," he concluded.

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Comment
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10. (S) During our conversation with Yelda, he frequently
referred to "our network" as the source of the information he
provided. It was clear he was not referring to any official
Iraqi intelligence organization but rather an informal group
with whom he was associated. Yelda never specified the exact
nature of this organization other than saying "my information is
very good" and "check out what I have told you in the past and
you'll see that my information is good." Post would welcome
Department guidance on whether/how to pursue any of this
information with Yelda.


11. (S) Yelda, who is a christian affiliated with the Assyrian
Church of the East, has met with Ambassadors Rooney and
Nicholson in the past, and is very open to contact. His
relationship with the Vatican and with other Iraqis in Rome is
less clear as are his bona fides with respect to some of the
information he provides. A Holy See official following Iraq
told us recently that he had had little contact with Yelda, and
made a vague allusion to "other interests" the ambassador might
have. The top Iraqi churchman in Rome has not been
complimentary about Yelda's diplomatic work here in recent
conversations we have had. End Comment.


ROONEY
SANDROLINI