Omar Suleiman & “Foreign Elements”: A Chronology
ANGLO AMERICA, 7 Feb 2011
Stephen Soldz – TRANSCEND Media Service
This is the monster the US considers an “acceptable” alternative leader in Egypt.
1993: Omar Suleiman becomes head of Egypt’s mukhabarat.
1995: US begins rendition program. Arranges through Suleiman. Obtains assurances re torture from Suleiman. According to Michael Scheuer, CIA agent, CIA knew + told policymakers assurances were worthless.
9/22/1995: rendition of Abu Talal al-Qasimi, aka Talat Fuad Qassem. Qassem disappears, probably executed http://bit.ly/dEXR2A .
1998: 5 Islamists rendered from Albania to Croatia after requisite assurances http://nyr.kr/gQv6bD, http://bit.ly/dEXR2A. Jane Mayer, on 1998 renditions: “Attiya later alleged…he suffered electrical shocks to his genitals, was hung from his limbs…” Two others hanged. All five allege brutal torture.
10/29/2001: Mamdouh Habib rendered to Egypt after diplomatic assurances. (Precise dates courtesy of Ghost Plane by Stephen Grey). Habib is brutally tortured. Alleges Suleiman personally participated, including ordering death of another prisoner: http://bit.ly/e5gLfO.
Late 2001/early 2002 (date unclear): Sheikh al-Libi captured, rendered to Suleiman’s custody in Egypt. Under torture, Al-Libi “confesses” to Al Qaeda-Saddam Hussein links, evidence US uses to justify Iraq war. http://nyr.kr/f8zSW4. Years later, Al-Libi allegedly commits “suicide” in custody in Libya. Evan Kohlmann, an analyst who frequently serves as an expert witness for the prosecution in terrorism cases, has written that Al-Libi’s death coincided with a visit by Suleiman to Libya, and suggested that al-Libi was killed at Suleiman’s behest. http://bit.ly/esAE57.
12/18/2001: Mohammed al-Zery and Ahmed Agiza rendered from Sweden to Egypt after diplomatic assurances. Agiza and Al-Zery are tortured. Agiza’s mother visits in prison, finds him “near breakdown”–face swollen and bloody. http://bit.ly/gZ3Mi4.
1/11/2002: CIA renders Muhammad Saad Iqbal to Egypt from Indonesia. Tortured. http://nyti.ms/fpY4IZ, http://nyti.ms/F5GT
1/25/2002: Ahmed El-Maati transferred from Syria to #Egypt. Taken to mukhabarat hq, tortured. http://bit.ly/hWhHR6
June 2002: U.S. asks Egypt for DNA sample from Muhammad Al Zawahiri. Suleiman offers to cut off his arm. http://abcn.ws/f4LDS9. Ron Suskind describes the exchange between CIA agent & Suleiman on pp. 132-133 of The One Percent Doctrine:
“A CIA operations manager called a chief at Egyptian intelligence. He explained the situation.
The Egyptian listened. ‘No problem,’ he said. ‘We’ll get his brother, cut off his arm, and send it over. ‘No…Christ!” the agency man stammered. ‘No, just a vial of blood. A vial of blood’s all we need.’ The Egyptian sighed. ‘Fine. Whatever you want. You want blood. We’ll send blood.'”
2/17/2003: Abu Omar rendered from Italy to Egypt after diplomatic assurances. Tortured. http://www.ghostplane.net/abuomar
8/1/2005: DOS cable states that US can rely on Egypt’s diplomatic assurances not to torture prisoners transferred from Guantanamo because “General Soliman’s word is the GOE’s guarantee.” http://bit.ly/hn2wIG
2007: Former CIA director George Tenet writes in his memoirs of Suleiman (p.79): “Umar is tall and regal looking, a very powerful man, very deliberate in his speech. He’s also tough and engaging. In a world filled with shadows, he is straight up and down.”
8/2/2010: Hillary Clinton calls Suleiman and urges him to conduct an investigation into Tahrir Square violence. http://bloom.bg/hVRRhK. In announcing this call, @PJCrowley states of the attacks, contradicting virtually all eyewitnesses: “We don’t know, at this point, who did it.”
Q: how seriously is Suleiman likely to take the United States’ demand?
I’m not suggesting Clinton’s demand for an investigation was made in the same bad faith as past requests for diplomatic assurances. I wouldn’t blame people in Tahrir for thinking so, but what’s going on in Cairo right now is too clearly disastrous for the U.S. for me to agree. But after 15 years of winking and nudging, how likely is the regime to take our demands seriously when we won’t even admit the truth about what happened yesterday?
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Stephen Soldz: Director, Center for Research, Evaluation, and Program Development, Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. President, Psychologists for Social Responsibility.
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 7 Feb 2011.
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