Cablegate: Is the Mighty Mengash Moscow Bound?

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Diana T Fritz 05/24/2007 04:30:53 PM From DB/Inbox: Search Results

Cable
Text:

UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM April 15, 2003

To: No Action Addressee

Action: Unknown

From: AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 1820 - ROUTINE)

TAGS: KPAO

Captions: None

Subject: IS THE MIGHTY MENGASH MOSCOW BOUND?

Ref: None
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS ABU DHABI 01820

SIPDIS
CXABU:
ACTION: POL
INFO: PAO AMB DCM P/M ECON RSO
Laser1:
INFO: PAO

DISSEMINATION: POL
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB:MMWAHBA
DRAFTED: POL:STWILLIAMS
CLEARED: DCM:RAALBRIGHT

VZCZCADI462
RR RUEHC RUCNRAQ RHEHNSC RUEAIIA RHEFDIA RUEKJCS
RUEKJCS RUCJACC RHRMDAB
DE RUEHAD #1820 1051119
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 151119Z APR 03
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9439
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC//J5/UNMA//
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC//OSD/NESA//
RUCJACC/USCINCCENT MACDILL AFB FL
RHRMDAB/COMUSNAVCENT

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001820

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IRAQ PD TASKFORCE, NEA/PPD AND NEA/ARP

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO IZ TC
SUBJECT: IS THE MIGHTY MENGASH MOSCOW BOUND?

REF: KUWAIT 1199

UAE Information Minister Abdullah bin Zayid called
the Ambassador 4/14 with a postscript to the tale
of the "mighty" Mengash -- the scrappy Iraqi farmer
who "shot down" an Apache with a vintage WWI rifle
in the first days of the war and became a cult hero
in much of the Arab world. Apparently an Abu
Dhabi TV crew sought Mengash out the other day for
an interview. When approached by the Emirati
journalists, a paranoid Mengash refused to go on
camera, claiming "the Americans" were looking for
him and he was now seeking "political asylum" in
Russia. If he made it to Moscow, Mengash promised
Abu Dhabi TV an exclusive. An amused Abdullah
swore the story was true.

WAHBA

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