3 May 2006

Chalabi involved US, Iran policy making again, current and former intelligence officials say

The Raw Story | Chalabi involved US, Iran policy making again, current and former intelligence officials say: "Ahmed Chalabi, the man who helped provide cooked intelligence on Iraq to the Pentagon and the New York Times in the lead-up to war, is once again being engaged in US policy decisions, current and former intelligence officials say.
According to two former high level counterintelligence officials, one former senior counterterrorist official and another intelligence officer, Chalabi is acting as broker between the US Ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, and Iranian officials in what are now stalled diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran.
'[Ahmed] Chalabi inserted himself and brought a proposal to Zel,' one intelligence source said.
Intelligence officials say the proposal that Chalabi delivered asked both the US and Iran to focus diplomatic talks on the Iraqi insurgency, leaving all discussion of Iran's nuclear program off the table. The talks, however, are now stalled.
It is unclear, however, who has tasked Chalabi to act as middleman or who he is representing in these attempts at negotiations.
'Either he is taking it upon himself or being asked to intervene,' one former senior counterintelligence official said. 'What we know is that Chalabi has approached the US Ambassador to Iraq with a request from what appears to be the Iranian leadership to engage in talks.'
Asked what is motivating Chalabi to attempt talks between Iran and the United States, another former intelligence official put it simply: 'He is close to Iran.'"

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