PENTAGON PAL GAVE IRAN SECRETS: MAG
The NY Post
May 3rd, 2004
BY DEBORAH ORIN
WASHINGTON - U.S. spy agencies claim Iraqi leader Ahmed Chalabi, who has close Pentagon ties, may have given Iran's ayatollahs some top-secret tips on U.S. actions in Iraq and that could "get people killed," it was reported yesterday.
The Newsweek report claims electronic intercepts show Chalabi gave Iran "sensitive" tips about U.S. political plans in Iraq - but gives no details - and says there are "indications" that Chalabi leaked details of U.S. security operations.
A Chalabi aide dismissed the report as "absolutely false" - and some Pentagon officials countered that Chalabi had provided information that saved American lives. The anti-Chalabi leak to Newsweek appears to be part of the behind-the-scenes struggle for power and influence in Iraq when sovereignty is transferred on June 30, leading to elections next year.
Chalabi, who heads the Iraqi National Congress, has been favored by some Pentagon officials to become leader of a free Iraq - but the CIA and State Department have a long and intense dislike for him.
"Rushing to judgment and cutting off this relationship could have unintended consequences," one Pentagon official said.
But the CIA and State Department are pushing the claim that Chalabi is playing a double game with Iran's fundamentalist ayatollahs, Newsweek said.
http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/23620.htmThanks for the post. I would expect that, at this point, all of the major movers in Iraq are playing all angles. If I were Chalabi, I certainly would be.