Email from Henry Bisharat to JoAnn Dolan, Heather Conley, Debra Cagan and Others re: Danish Press on Danish Guantanamo Detainees. The article forwarded is from the newspaper Copenhagen Politiken, dated 8/9/02, reporting on the Danish government's lack of inquiry regarding a Danish detainee.
UNCLASSIFIED
Dolan, JoAnn Sj ga)
From: Bisharat, Henry RELEASED IN FULL
Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2002 2:25 PM
To: Carter, Bruce E(Stockholm); Wong, Yvette M(Stockholm); Wesley, Liam J(Stockholm);
Anderson, Betsy L; EUR-NB-DL; Light, Salty M(Copenhagen); Burton, Greg S(Copenhagen);
Lawton, Daniel J(Copenhagen); Dolan, JoAnn; Conley, Heather A; Cagan, Debra Subject: Danish Press on Danish Gtmo Detainee: Gov't Not Pressing US for Info
Danish Government Not Pressing US for Information on Guantanamo Detainee
EUP20020809000248 Copenhagen Politiken (Internet Version-WWW) in Danish 9 Aug 02
[Report by Matias Seidelin and Torben Benner: "Silence Surrounds Danish Cuba Detainee"]
[FBIS Translated Text]
While Sweden is using its diplomatic big guns to acquire information about the Swedish detainee at the
Guantanamo Base in Cuba, Denmark has still not raised the issue at ministerial level.
It is now six months since the United States transferred one Danish and one Swedish citizen to the base, which
contains just under 600 individuals suspected of links with the Taliban and al-Qa'ida.
Pressure for Information About Charges
Since then the Swedish Government has raised the matter with U.S. Secretary of State Cohn Powell, for
example; and Assistant Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz.
"We have exerted pressure to acquire information about what he is charged with and for what reasons he
continues to be held," Swedish Foreign Ministry press officer Katrina Ostergren says.
Low Danish Profile
The Danish Foreign Ministry, on the other hand, is maintaining a low profile vis-a-vis the United States. Denmark has never raised the issue at ministerial level nor does it expect to do so.
"The Swedes pursue a very active line. We have opted to be kept updated by the relevant authorities. As long as the United States is pursuing investigations, will adhere to this approach," Foreign Ministry director Friis Arne Petersen says.
Persson Critical
On Monday [5 August] Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson criticized the . Americans for the line they have taken and prior to this the Swedish Government had requested a meeting on the issue with U.S. Ambassador
Bruce Carter.
According to Friis Arne Petersen, the Danish Foreign Ministry . was in contact with the U.S. State Department as recently as Thursday [8 August], but the Danish Foreign Ministry still does not know the nature of the Americans' concrete suspicions regarding the Danish detainee.
[Description of Source: Copenhagen Politiken (Internet Version-WWW) in Danish -- nationwide centrist daily]
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE
REVIEW AUTHORITY: A RCI-IIE M BOLSTER UNCLASSIFIED
DATE/CASE ID: 10 DEC 2004 200303827 DOS-001157