US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

[Joseph]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

And after that they have the moral to demand samthing like that from armenia ??? we all know that the trained troops would be used against Artsax just like what they did with Georgia

Exactly. After the release of these cables, I think it would be wise for Armenia to stay close to Russia and Iran strategically while remaining cordial to the US but holding them at arms length.

[Federate]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

My point is, if there was any evidence to anything like that, it would have gone beyond a simple inquiry. They probably just had some hunch or tip so they looked into it. It could have easily been Turkey, Azerbaijan engaging in petty diplomatic warfare by throwing out false information about Armenia amongst U.S circles.

Good post, agreed. Azerbaijan especially has a long history of trying to tie us to ANYTHING illegal (even though transferring arms to Iran is NOT illegal).

Furthermore, this alleged weapons transfer happened in 2003. Our relations with the US have not been affected since which proves nothing came out from this alleged event.

[Federate]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

P.S. Here's the whole leak related to Armenia http://cablegate.wikileaks.org/cable...ATE134490.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bush Administration threatened sanctions against Armenia over Iran link

by Emil Sanamyan

Published: Sunday November 28, 2010

John Negroponte.

Washington - As the Bush Administration was getting ready to leave office at the end of 2008 senior U.S. officials threatened to sanction Armenia over alleged sale of light weapons to Iran five years earlier, a secret State Department diplomatic cable made available by Wikileaks shows.

No immediate reaction from U.S. or Armenian officials was available and no sanctions were ever introduced against Armenia.

The document is just one of more than 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables that Wikileaks is planning to release. As of November 28, just 220 were released including several dealing with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

In another cable dated February 22, 2010, U.S. officials raise concerns about arms deals between Turkish firms and Iran, including some weapons that may have been previously transferred to Turkey by U.S. According to UK-based Al Hayat newspaper, another U.S. cable alleges Turkey supported Al Qaida in Iraq and U.S. in turn backed Kurdish rebels that it formally considers terrorists.

In Armenia's case, U.S. officials alleged that weapons recovered from Iraqi insurgents in 2007 included rockets and machine guns that Armenia purchased in 2003 and subsequently sold to Iran. It is unclear how exactly the weapons were traced.

According to a December 24, 2008 cable from the State Department to U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, the issue was raised by Secretary Condoleezza Rice with Armenia's President Serge Sargsyan when the two met in New York during UN General Assembly on September 23. At the time the meeting took place, Sargsyan denied any transfer of weapons occurred.

But U.S. officials did not believe the denial and in a letter signed by Deputy Secretary John Negroponte three months later Armenia was given an ultimatum to cooperate with the United States on limiting its exports to Iran or risk U.S. sanctions.

The threat came even though from 2005 to 2008 Armenian servicemen were part of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. They were deployed near the border with Iran and were targeted by insurgent attacks. (In January 2009 letter, President Bush thanked Armenia for its coalition role in Iraq, expressing "deep gratitude of the United States.")
Concern resolved amicably?

On March 31, 2009, several months after these U.S.-Armenia exchanges, House Select Intelligence Committee heard a closed-door "Briefing on Armenia." While agenda was not made public, considering the Committee's focus on Iran and Iraq, the issue of light weapons transfer was likely on the agenda.

But a source familiar with the issue told The Armenian Reporter at the time that the U.S. and Armenian governments were working cooperatively on the issue that was the briefing's focus.

Since no U.S. sanctions were eventually introduced the issue appears to have been resolved amicably in the end.

This was not the first time U.S. expressed serious concern over Iran-Armenia ties.

In 2002 a defunct Armenian factory called Lizin together with businessman Armen Sargsyan (brother of late Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan) were sanctioned after Lizin's production facilities sold to Iran were deemed to be dual-use technology that could be used for both civilian and military purposes.

http://www.reporter.am/index.cfm?objectid=20FD0C78-FB7E-11DF-B8E40003FF3452C2

[Joseph]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

http://www.yerevanreport.com/44943/wikileaks-reveals-negropontes-christmas-eve-ultimatum/

[ninetoyadome]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

US Embassy Downplays Leaked Bush-Era Threat to Sanction Armenia


YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—The US Embassy in Yerevan released a statement Monday downplaying the release by WikiLeaks of a classified 2008 State Department cable in which a top Bush administration official threatened wide-ranging US retaliation against Armenia over the reported transfer of weapons to Iran.
The leaked cable, which can be read here, is one of 250,000 others released by the international whistle-blower organization on Sunday. The cable contained a harsh letter from Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte to the Armenian Government sent on the final days of the Bush administration.
The letter threatened wide-ranging US retaliation, including sanctions, if the Armenian government does not halt its alleged transfer of arms, which the State Department said resulted in Iranian proxies killing US soldiers in Iraq in 2007.
“Notwithstanding the close relationship between our countries, neither the Administration nor the U.S. Congress can overlook this case,” Negropante said in the letter, which went on to note that there would be consideration “whether there is a basis for the imposition of U.S. sanctions.”
A “background” note for U.S. diplomats in Yerevan that was attached to Negroponte’s letter contends that Armenia “facilitated” Iran’s purchase of rockets and machine guns in 2003. “In 2007, some of these weapons were recovered from two Shia militant attacks in which a United States soldier was killed and six others were injured in Iraq,” it said without specifying the precise type and origin of the weapons.”
The US Embassy in Yerevan, however, dismissed the letter as mere diplomatic chatter and not an expression of foreign policy. “Cables reflect the internal day to day analysis and candid assessments that feed the governments’ foreign relations deliberations,” the statement said. “These cables are often preliminary and incomplete expressions of foreign policy, and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy.”
The Armenian National Committee of America similarly commented the leaked document. “What this cable, and all that has transpired since it was written in 2008, shows is that the U.S. government, having reviewed all the relevant facts, concluded that Yerevan did not merit sanctions—on assistance, on exports, or, for that matter, in any other area,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparain.
The leaked documents also reveal that Turkey has aggressively used the Turkey-Armenia protocols, particularly the prospect of its ratification, to pressure American leaders against U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and in favor of a pro-Azerbaijani settlement of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
Below is the complete text of the US Embassy letter:
Regarding recent news reports concerning documents purportedly downloaded from U.S. Defense Department computers, the Department of State does not comment on materials, including classified documents, which may have been leaked.
Any unauthorized disclosure of classified information by Wikileaks has harmful implications for the lives of identified individuals that are jeopardized, but also for global engagement among and between nations. Given its potential impact, we condemn such unauthorized disclosures and are taking every step to prevent future security breaches.
While we cannot speak to the authenticity of any documents provided to the press, we can speak to the diplomatic community’s practice of cable writing. Cables reflect the internal day to day analysis and candid assessments that feed the governments’ foreign relations deliberations. These cables are often preliminary and incomplete expressions of foreign policy, and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy.

http://asbarez.com/89306/us-embassy-downplays-leaked-bush-era-threat-to-sanction-armenia/

[Mos]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

Great now because of this Armenia will lose much US support in terms of aid, and especially we can forget about the Genocide resolution in passing as Turks will use this information to show that we are enemies. Great job Serzh or whatever idiot sold those weapons, thanks for screwing Armenia....

Revelations that U.S. officials charged Armenia in 2008 with supplying Iran with weapons later used to kill U.S. troops in Iraq were "enormously troubling," said Rep. Adam Schiff, who has been a staunch supporter of Congress officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

The charges were described in a cable sent from the U.S. embassy in Yerevan that also showed Americans considered sanctions against Armenia and demanded that leaders there impose greater controls on the movement of weapons.

U.S. and Armenian officials declined to discuss the diplomatic cable, part of a cache of 250,000 documents being made public by the website WikiLeaks. Advocates for strong ties between the United States and Armenia said they hoped and expected the memo would not harm relations between the two nations.

Nonetheless, Schiff, a congressional leader who has long advocated for deeper U.S.-Armenia ties, said the allegation in the published cable "is enormously troubling."

According to the Dec. 24, 2008, memo in the cable, then-Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte sent a strongly worded letter to Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian.

Americans alleged that high-level Armenian officials "facilitated Iran's purchase of rockets and machine guns" in 2003. Four years later, some of the weapons were recovered from a site in Iraq where Shia militants killed one U.S. soldier and wounded six others, according to the cable.

"We value our positive relationship with your government as we explore a range of shared interests, especially an agreement on Nagorno Karabakh and normalization of Armenia's relations with Turkey," Negroponte wrote. "At the same time, we are dismayed by a serious and, indeed, deadly arms re-export case."

Officials declined to comment on the memo or whether Armenia acceded to demands for improved security. However, advocates for Armenia in the United States noted that the U.S. never imposed sanctions.

"No sanctions on aid or trade or anything else were put in place," Aram Hamparian, chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, said. "That is the real test of the relationship."

Hamparian is among the advocates for a congressional resolution, introduced by Schiff, condemning the Armenian Genocide at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in 1915 — an act of Congress that has faltered under pressure from Turkey.

Hamparian said he doubted the cable would affect the fate of the legislation.

"I would hope that there is nobody in the U.S. government who would hold a human rights issue such as the Armenian Genocide resolution hostage," he said.

Van Krikorian, a spokesman for the Armenian Assembly of America, said Armenia has not run afoul of U.S. economic sanctions against Iran, noting that numerous cables dropped by WikiLeaks touch on diplomacy involving Armenia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey, and that overall this "mosaic" indicates Armenia has been a faithful U.S. ally.

"With the U.S., the bonds are unbreakable. You have so many Armenian Americans and people with family connections all over the place," Krikorian said.

In a statement posted after the cable was leaked, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan said the cables "are often preliminary and incomplete expressions of foreign policy, and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy."

http://www.glendalenewspress.com/news/tn-gnp-armenia-20101203,0,818341.story

[Tigranakert]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

Great now because of this Armenia will lose much US support in terms of aid, and especially we can forget about the Genocide resolution in passing as Turks will use this information to show that we are enemies. Great job Serzh or whatever idiot sold those weapons, thanks for screwing Armenia....



http://www.glendalenewspress.com/new...0,818341.story

You are an idiot, a fool. Not our President Serzh Sargsyan. If proven to be so, Armenia would have lost its support in aid. We did not, and we will not lose the economic support. Furthermore, this just shows how disgusting and biased the Western world is, but you as a brainwashed European/American ass-licking person, does not want to see this. They don't care about Armenia, they sell weapons to Azerbaijan (which I don't mind) and are one of the biggest suppliers of our enemy called The Republic of Turkey.

Why shouldn't we sell weapons (read, non-nuclear weapons) to one of our best allies? I don't promote it, but you as an Armenian should be one of the last people licking Americans ass in condenming something which first of all is not proven, and second is a biased stance.

Disgraceful behaviour of yours, because of people like you Armenians are beginning to dislike the West and America as they only see foolish people licking Americans ass, and having the most stupid views of what the world and world politics look like.

You should go to the American Embassy and ask to be one of the promotors of American democracy, freedom and all those other heavenly stuff they promote they are.

A danger, next to the Azeris and Turks are Armenians like you, as I have stated numerous times. And again for you to understand, I am one of the biggest supporters of taking all the good things, experiences and values from European countries, but I also don't forget all the negative things and bad values which we should avoid of taking over. We should take the best of the Western-Eastern and I don't give a damn Alien world, but make it our own Armenian way. I have lived a long time in Europe, I have been to many countries, and one thing I know for sure is that NOT ONE CULTURE can resemble ours, we Armenians are special and different, end.

[Joseph]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

You are an idiot, a fool. Not our President Serzh Sargsyan. If proven to be so, Armenia would have lost its support in aid. We did not, and we will not lose the economic support. Furthermore, this just shows how disgusting and biased the Western world is, but you as a brainwashed European/American ass-licking person, does not want to see this. They don't care about Armenia, they sell weapons to Azerbaijan (which I don't mind) and are one of the biggest suppliers of our enemy called The Republic of Turkey.

Why shouldn't we sell weapons (read, non-nuclear weapons) to one of our best allies? I don't promote it, but you as an Armenian should be one of the last people licking Americans ass in condenming something which first of all is not proven, and second is a biased stance.

Disgraceful behaviour of yours, because of people like you Armenians are beginning to dislike the West and America as they only see foolish people licking Americans ass, and having the most stupid views of what the world and world politics look like.

You should go to the American Embassy and ask to be one of the promotors of American democracy, freedom and all those other heavenly stuff they promote they are.

A danger, next to the Azeris and Turks are Armenians like you, as I have stated numerous times. And again for you to understand, I am one of the biggest supporters of taking all the good things, experiences and values from European countries, but I also don't forget all the negative things and bad values which we should avoid of taking over. We should take the best of the Western-Eastern and I don't give a damn Alien world, but make it our own Armenian way. I have lived a long time in Europe, I have been to many countries, and one thing I know for sure is that NOT ONE CULTURE can resemble ours, we Armenians are special and different, end.

Enough with the insults and name-calling. You could have made your point without resorting to vulgarities. For someone who claims Armenians are "special and different", you sure have a funny way of showing it.

Dear All,

Let's act like adults and remain civil or the bannings will be enforced.

[Tigranakert]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

Enough with the insults and name-calling. You could have made your point without resorting to vulgarities. For someone who claims Armenians are "special and different", you sure have a funny way of showing it.

Dear All,

Let's act like adults and remain civil or the bannings will be enforced.

Petqa haykakan kfurner oktagorcei, jisht es.

[Mos]

Re: US embassy cables: US fury at Armenia over arms transfers to Iran

You are an idiot, a fool. Not our President Serzh Sargsyan. If proven to be so, Armenia would have lost its support in aid. We did not, and we will not lose the economic support. Furthermore, this just shows how disgusting and biased the Western world is, but you as a brainwashed European/American ass-licking person, does not want to see this. They don't care about Armenia, they sell weapons to Azerbaijan (which I don't mind) and are one of the biggest suppliers of our enemy called The Republic of Turkey.

Why shouldn't we sell weapons (read, non-nuclear weapons) to one of our best allies? I don't promote it, but you as an Armenian should be one of the last people licking Americans ass in condenming something which first of all is not proven, and second is a biased stance.

Disgraceful behaviour of yours, because of people like you Armenians are beginning to dislike the West and America as they only see foolish people licking Americans ass, and having the most stupid views of what the world and world politics look like.

You should go to the American Embassy and ask to be one of the promotors of American democracy, freedom and all those other heavenly stuff they promote they are.

A danger, next to the Azeris and Turks are Armenians like you, as I have stated numerous times. And again for you to understand, I am one of the biggest supporters of taking all the good things, experiences and values from European countries, but I also don't forget all the negative things and bad values which we should avoid of taking over. We should take the best of the Western-Eastern and I don't give a damn Alien world, but make it our own Armenian way. I have lived a long time in Europe, I have been to many countries, and one thing I know for sure is that NOT ONE CULTURE can resemble ours, we Armenians are special and different, end.

Well I'll have the decency of not resorting to personal attacks (even though I really feel like I should curse you until your pants falls down in Armenian), a decency you severely lack and self control which you don't know the meaning of.

You know Armenia receives the 2nd most aid per capita from the US after Israel? We need the support of US and other Western nations and Turkey/Azerbaijan will use the alleged weapon sale as anti-Armenian propaganda in the Western world especially the US to prevent this or any genocide recognition.

No we shouldn't have military ties with Iran, I don't want Armenia to get hit by sanctions by all of the West, but of course you will cry for such military relations with Iran, and of course not care that Armenia would be put in the same economic black-hole that Iran is in. I could care less about Iran and their military, it's a theocratic hell hole with little to no future. A regime that's faltering, and a schizophrenic government that bans music. We can have economic relations with them, but we should not go more than that.

So tell me how many Iranians are coming and fixing schools, fixing roads, making lives for people in rural villages better? No most of that help is coming from Western countries especially US. So stop living in your idiotic illusion that Iran is somehow our saviours and that our future is with them. It's your type of mentality that wishes to become a pawn of Iran that's dangerous.

And yes everybody supports Azerbaijan because they have oil and gas, not because they like Azeris. You think the West has this love affair with Turks, NO! It's all for economy. And same Iran does the same relations with Azerbaijan, just the other day Ahmadinejad was in Baku and said that Azeris are their brothers. So just stop with your naive propaganda. Nations only care about themselves and their economies, including your homeland of Iran.

Does Armenia have oil? gas? sea? No! So obviously we are going to be secondary to resource rich countries such as azerbaijan.

I'm more scared of people like you that will betray Armenia for countries such as iran, and support Armenia being subjugated to them.

Long live Armenia, not Iran, and f*ck anybody who says otherwise....