[casi-analysis] Newsweek: Chalabi suspected in leak to Iran

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Everyone,

WashingtonPost-owned Newsweek magazine (one of two major American newsweeklies)
is reporting that Ahmed Chalabi may have given sensitive intelligence concerning
the Iraq occupation to the rulers of Iran.  The disclosure was revealed through
electronic intercepts of discussions between Iranian leaders. Newsweek quotes a
government source in saying that some of the information Chalabi turned over to
Iran could "get people killed."

A Chalabi spokesperson has denied the charge.

Following are two Newsweek reports.  For Chalabi's mounting political concerns,
see http://www.casi.org.uk/analysis/2004/msg00269.html.

Regards,
Drew Hamre
Golden Valley, MN USA

===
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/05-02-2004/0002164677&EDATE=
NEWSWEEK: Top Bush Administration Officials Briefed on Intelligence Indicating
Chalabi May Have Supplied Iran With 'Sensitive' Information on American
Occupation in Iraq

U.S. Government Source Says Some of the Information Chalabi Turned Over to Iran
Could 'Get People Killed'

NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Top Bush administration officials have been
briefed on intelligence indicating that Ahmed Chalabi, longtime Pentagon
favorite to become leader of a free Iraq, and some of his top aides have
supplied Iran with "sensitive" information on the American occupation in Iraq,
Newsweek has learned. U.S. officials say that electronic intercepts of
discussions between Iranian leaders indicate that Chalabi and his entourage told
Iranian contacts about American political plans in Iraq. There are also
indications that Chalabi has provided details of U.S. security operations.
According to one U.S. government source, some of the information Chalabi turned
over to Iran could "get people killed." (A Chalabi aide calls the allegations
"absolutely false.")

    Chalabi has never made a secret of his close ties to Iran, reports
Investigative Correspondent Mark Hosenball in the May 10 issue of Newsweek (on
newsstands Monday, May 3).  Before the U.S. invasion of Baghdad, Chalabi's Iraqi
National Congress maintained a $36,000-a-month branch office in Tehran-funded by
U.S. taxpayers. INC representatives, including Chalabi himself, paid regular
visits to the Iranian capital. Since the war, Chalabi's contacts with Iran may
have intensified: a Chalabi aide says that since last December, he has met with
most of Iran's top leaders, including supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei and his top national-security aide, Hassan Rowhani. "Iran is Iraq's
neighbor, and it is in Iraq's interest to have a good relationship with Iran,"
Chalabi's aide says.

    But U.S. intelligence agencies have recently raised concerns that Chalabi
has become too close to Iran's theocratic rulers. Administration officials say
Chalabi may be working both sides in an effort to solidify his own power and
block the advancement of rival Iraqis. A U.S. official familiar with information
presented to policymakers said that White House advisors were concerned Chalabi
was "playing footsie" with the Iranians.

    Yet Chalabi still has loyal defenders among some neoconservatives in the
Pentagon. They say Chalabi has provided information that saved American lives.
"Rushing to judgment and cutting off this relationship could have unintended
consequences," says one Pentagon official, who did not respond to questions
about Chalabi's dealings with Tehran. Each month the Pentagon still pays his
group a $340,000 stipend, drawn from secret intelligence funds, for "information
collection."

===
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4881157/
Intelligence: A Double Game
Has Chalabi given 'sensitive' information on U.S. interests to Iran? He denies
it, but the White House is wary
By Mark Hosenball

NewsweekMay 10 issue - Ahmad Chalabi, the longtime Pentagon favorite to become
leader of a free Iraq, has never made a secret of his close ties to Iran. Before
the U.S. invasion of Baghdad, Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress maintained a
$36,000-a-month branch office in Tehran—funded by U.S. taxpayers. INC
representatives, including Chalabi himself, paid regular visits to the Iranian
capital. Since the war, Chalabi's contacts with Iran may have intensified: a
Chalabi aide says that since December, he has met with most of Iran's top
leaders, including supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his top
national-security aide, Hassan Rowhani. "Iran is Iraq's neighbor, and it is in
Iraq's interest to have a good relationship with Iran," Chalabi's aide says.

But U.S. intelligence agencies have recently raised concerns that Chalabi has
become too close to Iran's theocratic rulers. NEWSWEEK has learned that top Bush
administration officials have been briefed on intelligence indicating that
Chalabi and some of his top aides have supplied Iran with "sensitive"
information on the American occupation in Iraq. U.S. officials say that
electronic intercepts of discussions between Iranian leaders indicate that
Chalabi and his entourage told Iranian contacts about American political plans
in Iraq. There are also indications that Chalabi has provided details of U.S.
security operations. According to one U.S. government source, some of the
information Chalabi turned over to Iran could "get people killed." (A Chalabi
aide calls the allegations "absolutely false.")

Why would Chalabi risk his cozy ties to Washington by cuddling up to Iran's
fundamentalist rulers? Administration officials say Chalabi may be working both
sides in an effort to solidify his own power and block the advancement of rival
Iraqis. A U.S. official familiar with information presented to policymakers said
that White House advisers were concerned that Chalabi was "playing footsie" with
the Iranians. Yet Chalabi still has loyal defenders among some neoconservatives
in the Pentagon. They say Chalabi has provided information that saved American
lives. "Rushing to judgment and cutting off this relationship could have
unintended consequences," says one Pentagon official, who did not respond to
questions about Chalabi's dealings with Tehran. Each month the Pentagon still
pays his group a $340,000 stipend, drawn from secret intelligence funds, for
"information collection."

Still, the State Department and the CIA are using the intelligence about his
Iran ties to persuade the president to cut him loose once and for all. Officials
say that even some of Chalabi's old allies in Washington now see him as a
liability. If Chalabi's support in the administration was once an iceberg, says
one Bush aide, "it's now an ice cube."

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