Mossad doing business with KSA: Stratfor Source

6 March2012, Cham Press شام برس http://www.champress.net (Syria)
mail@champress.net

Stratfor emails released by WikiLeaks and obtained by al-Akhbar said that the "Israeli" intelligence agency Mossad covertly assisted their Saudi counterparts with "intelligence collection and advice on Iran."

The emails, dated 2 May 2007, show discussions between Fred Burton, Stratfor's vice-president of counter-terrorism, and analysts in regards to the alleged secret Saudi-"Israeli" intelligence alliance. The email exchange also shows that Stratfor execs considered pursuing their own business relationship with the Saudi monarchy or, as Burton called them, “sleezy arsehole ragheads.”

Burton forwarded a short message to the general analyst email list which recounted HUMINT (human intelligence) on the alleged secret deal. The source claimed that Mossad offered covert assistance to the Saudis with "intelligence collection and advice on Iran." The city of Nicosia in Cyprus was cited in the email "as a primary transit hub into Riyadh." (doc-id 1227888).

Additionally, the source advised Burton that the Saudis "are playing both sides of the fence - with the jihadists and the Israelis - for fear that the US does not have a handle on either."

The source also claimed that "several enterprising Mossad officers, both past and present, are making a bundle selling the Saudis everything from security equipment, intelligence and consultation," a statement that implies an established security and business relationship between the Jewish "state" and the Saudi monarchy.

The message by Burton was additionally shared with another list that included Stratfor's president and Chief Financial Officer Don Kuykendall.

Burton inquired, "Have we got the Saudi Foreign Ministry or intel[ligence] services as sub clients? If not, [I] suggest we send Mike Parks [Stratfor employee with a history of getting clients for Stratfor], who is good friends with Prince Bandar, to sign them up. $100,000 deal is nothing to these folks. I think Les Janka also has contacts with these "...... Arabs"

The idea seemed to resonate well with other Stratfor senior staff, although there were concerns whether Stratfor's budget would cover an employee's trip to Riyadh in order to charm out a deal.

The email thread ended with Burton, typically tasteless in his humor, asking, "Either we want these "towel heads" as a client o[r] not. I can also have anybody we send to Riyadh beheaded."

The year 2007 was the year when Saudi Arabia officially reaffirmed its support for the Arab Peace Initiative.

Moreover, a New York Times report in August of that year stated that Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, was keen to be involved in the ill-fated Annapolis peace conference due to occur in the fall. In turn, "Israel" signaled its ‘openness' to the Saudi plan.

al-Akhbar Newspaper