Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Amer Sultan
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Documents reveal US-UK longstanding clash over the International Criminal Court
The United Kingdom resisted intense US efforts to weaken the International Criminal Court (ICC) before and after the Rome Statute entered into force, newly declassified British Cabinet Office documents reveal. The release of the records from the British National Archives comes amid renewed concerns over the UK’s commitment to international…
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British documents reveal King Abdullah’s “puzzling initiative” dreaming for Hashemite revival in Iraq ahead of invasion
The idea of offering Saddam Hussein exile to potentially avoid the 2003 invasion of Iraq originated with King Abdullah of Jordan, newly released British government documents reveal. The King also expressed interest in extending his Hashemite dynasty’s influence to Iraq after the fall of Saddam’s regime, according to records from…
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UK advised Iranian exiles to use Kurdish question to gain support for overthrowing Khomeini, British documents reveal
The UK advised Iranian opposition groups in exile to promise the Kurds a federal state in Iran in order to secure their support for any plans to overthrow Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolutionary government, newly declassified British documents reveal. In 1981, a year after the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war, the British…
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UK and Mubarak’s security chief, General Habib Al-Adli clashed over Islamic extremists, declassified documents reveal
UK and Egyptian security officials, including powerful General Habib Al-Adli, were engaged in tense high-level discussions during the mid-1990s about how to combat Egyptian Islamic extremists in London, British documents reveal Records from the UK Prime Minister’s Office show that while Egyptian officials publicly criticised the UK for hosting foreign…
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Documents reveal Gorbachev’s frank advice to Saddam Hussain during Kuwait occupation
The Soviet leaders engaged in difficult talks with the Iraqi leadership during the occupation of Kuwait, discussing both the liberation of the country and the fate of Iraq, British documents reveal. The newly declassified documents also show that Iraqi leaders were advised to act in the interest of their people…
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US predicted Israel would use nuclear weapons against Iraq during Kuwait liberation war, British documents reveal
United States predicted Israel might use nuclear weapons against Iraq during the war to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, newly declassified British documents reveal. On 2 August 1990, Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait. After Iraq refused to withdraw despite global condemnation, a US-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm on…
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Mubarak endorsed American and British plan to humiliate Saddam in Kuwait, predicting his regime’s fall, British documents reveal
Newly declassified British documents reveal that the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak supported US and British efforts to defeat and humiliate Saddam Hussein during the Gulf War, predicting that a military defeat would lead to the Iraqi leader’s downfall. The documents, released by the British National Archives, show that Mubarak…
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Blair government rejected Israeli pressure to ban leading pro-Palestinian charity, Newly-released British documents reveal
Tony Blair’s government rebuffed high-level Israeli pressure to crack down on the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund (Interpal), a UK-based charity known globally for providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the occupied territories and neighboring countries, newly declassified British documents reveal. In 2001, the UK government proscribed the military wing…
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King Abdullah warned Arab Leaders: Take the lead on reform or face headache, New British documents reveal
The King Abdullah of Jordan warned other Arab leaders to take the lead on initiating reform—or risk having it imposed on them, newly declassified British documents reveal. The United States and the United Kingdom relied on Abdullah to encourage other Arab governments to adopt “home-grown” comprehensive reforms rather than delay…
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Egyptians move against Pharaonic regimes “at the good moments,” British documents Predicted
A British report predicted the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s regime in Egypt 17 years before the 2011 revolution, newly unearthed UK documents reveal. The documents show that while the UK advised supporting Mubarak’s regime through internal political and economic challenges in the mid-1990s, it also warned that Egyptians merely wait…
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Sadat offered Iranian exiles “military support” to overthrow Khomeini’s revolutionary rule, British documents reveal
The late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat offered military and media assistance to the Iranian opposition in exile to topple Ayatollah Khomeini’s revolutionary regime, two years after the victory of the 1979 revolution, declassified British documents reveal. Under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran had maintained strong relations with…
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The UK refused to support plans to overthrow Khomeini’s revolutionary rule, one year after the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war
The UK rejected several appeals made by exiled Iranian opposition individuals and groups in 1981 seeking British backing for military and political efforts to topple the revolutionary rule of the Islamic Republic, declassified British government documents reveal. Following the victory of Islamic Revolution of February 1979, a wave of Iranian…
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Mubarak told Thatcher King Hussain did not have the courage to curb Islamists’ influence after remarkable election gains, British documents reveal
Hosni Mubarak told the UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that the King Hussain didn’t have enough courage to deny the Islamists –including the Muslim Brotherhood- the ability to widen their influence in Jordan, according to British documents. The declassified documents, accessed by MEMO to in the National Archives, reveal the…
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Ethiopia refused to negotiate with Mubarak’s regime over water, believing no one could stop its projects on the Nile – British Documents
Ethiopia refused to negotiate with Hosni Mubarak’s regime over the Nile water issue, believing that no one could stop it from pursuing its projects on the river’s source, according to declassified British documents. The documents also reveal that the UK had predicted, 36 years ago, that Egypt would face water…
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UK ignored Israeli pressure to rescue Mubarak during Egypt’s worst economic crisis despite warnings of instability in the Middle East, declassified documents reveal
The UK rejected Israeli pressure to assist Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak during Egypt’s worst economic crises, nearly five years after he took office, according to newly revealed British documents. In mid-July 1986, Mubarak embarked on a last-minute European tour of the UK, France, and Germany to seek support for Egypt’s…
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The US delayed a resolution removing equating Zionism with racism to avoid ‘damaging clash’ with Arabs, UK docs reveal
Newly uncovered British documents have revealed that the United States delayed its efforts to overturn a United Nations resolution equating Zionism with racism for two years to avoid a “highly damaging clash” with Arab nations. The documents show that the US and the UK were concerned about the diplomatic fallout…
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Israel launched a campaign against Kissinger after he blamed it for the breakdown of negotiations with Egypt in 1975, British documents reveal
Israel launched a campaign against former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger after he blamed the Israelis for the breakdown of his mission to achieve an interim agreement with Egypt following the 1973 war, according to declassified British documents The documents, unearthed by MEMO in the British National Archives, showed…
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Saddam ‘used’ Jordan’s King Hussein against Egypt ahead of Kuwait invasion, UK documents show
Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak informed the UK that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein “used” King Hussein of Jordan to persuade Egypt to join a trilateral military force to intervene in the Gulf a year before Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, newly found British documents reveal. The documents, unearthed by MEMO in…
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Sheikh Zayed lacked faith in US protection of allied Arab leaders during difficult times, British documents reveal
Newly unearthed British documents reveal that Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and late president of the United Arab Emirates, believed the United States would abandon its Arab allies if they faced popular uprisings. Sheikh Zayid and his nephew and Chief of Staff, Sheikh Surour, expressed these concerns…
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Sheikh Zayed sought US intervention to curb Saudi territorial claims against Gulf states, UK documents reveal
Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan was so “suspicious” of Saudi Arabia that he asked the United States to intervene and stop the Saudi leadership from making territorial claims against its Gulf allies, declassified British documents show. Since the foundation of the UAE in 1971, the Gulf state has been…
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King Faisal ‘threatened the US to reuse the oil weapon’ over Israel’s intransigence after the 1973 embargo, UK documents show
King Faisal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud warned the United States that Arab states would use oil as a political weapon once again unless Israel agreed to a settlement with the Arab nations two years after the oil embargo of 1973, British documents reveal. In response to US and European support…
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Thatcher rejected Mubarak’s offer to mediate between Gaddafi and the UK
Hosni Mubarak told the UK government led by Margaret Thatcher that he was spying on the activities of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and was prepared to share intelligence with Westminster, newly-released British documents reveal. However, Thatcher’s government declined Mubarak’s offer to mediate between London and Gaddafi 34 years ago. During…
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Gazan refugees warned the West 70 years ago: Palestinians would undermine any alliance with Arabs formed at their expense, British documents reveal
The leaders of Palestinian refugees in Gaza warned the UK 70 years ago of the serious consequences of any plans to resettle Palestinians in Sinai or elsewhere out of Palestine, according to British documents. The Foreign Office files, unearthed by MEMO in the British National Archives, reveal that the UK…
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UK intelligence warned of Hamas-Iran ties but ruled out Tehran’s influence on the Palestinian group’s policies over 30 years ago
More than 30 years ago, UK intelligence predicted that relations between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Iran would grow. However, they ruled out the possibility that Tehran would influence Hamas’s policies, according to recently released British documents. Since Hamas and other resistance groups in Gaza launched the Al-Aqsa Flood…