Emails between JoAnn Dolan and David Bowker and others concerning a Swedish press report concerning Swedish detainees at Guantanamo. The press report includes an interview with Swedish Foreign Minister Lindh. The comments of the U.S. officials is redacted.
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Dolan, JoAnn
RELEASED IN PART
From: Dolan, JoAnn
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 12:19 PM
B5
To: Bowker, David W; 'Michael Mobbs'
Cc: Bue, Kara L(D); 'Eliana Davidson [Eliana_Davidson'; '_"Leventhal, _Brian_H"_LeventhalBH —©state.sgov.gov'; "'Miklaucic, Michael J (S/WCI)"MiklaucicMJ©spot.policy.osd.pentagon.smil.mil'; Bisharat, Henry; Miller, Laurel E (S/WCI)
Subject: RE: FW: Swedish Press Report on Detainee B5
UNITCTISTATFC TIPPA RTM PVT OF QTATIF
REVIEW AUTHORITY: SHARON E AHMAD
DATE/CASE ID: 27 DEC 2004 200303827 UNCLASSIFIED DOS 002809
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This Message:
"Dolan, JoAnn"
DOLANJA@state.To: "Taft IV, William H." TaftWH@state.sgov.gov , "Miklaucic,
.sgov.gov.Michael J(SNVC1)" MiklaucicMJ@state.sgov.gov, "Miller, Laurel
E(S/WCI)" MillerlE2@state.sgov.gov , "Leventhal, Brian H(P)" 08/01/02 04:51.LeventhalBH@state.sgov.gov , "Bue, Kara L(D)" PM.BueKL@state.sgov.gov , "Thessin, James H"
THESSINJH@state.sgov.gov , "Miller, Ronald W(SNVCI)"
MillerRW2@state.sgov.gov , "Bowker, David W'
DavidB@state.sgov.gov
cc: "Eliana Davidson fEliana_Davidson@nts.policy.osd.pentagon.smil.mil ] (Email)"
-
Eliana_Davidson@nts.policy.osd.pentagon.smil.mil , "Jock Scharfen
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(E-mail)" Scharfej@nsc.sgov.gov , "Michael Mobbs (E-mail)" Michae I_Mobbs@nts.policy.osd. pentag on . smit.mil , "Patrick. Mccarthy (E-mail)" patricicmccarthy@js_pentagon.smil.mil Subject: FW: Swedish Press Report on Detainee
Thank you, Henry, for passing this along. I will circulate it to others following the issue.
----Original Message-- From: Bisharat, Henry Sent Thursday, August 01, 2002 4:36 PM To: Dolan, JoAnn Cc: Carter, Bruce E(Stockholm); Wong, Yvette M(Stockholm); Sidabras, Vicktor A(Stockholm); Post, Robert; Coleman, Maryruth; Conley, Heather A; Prosper, Pierre R(S/WCI); CoalitionWG_PM Subject: Swedish Press Report on Detainee
Swedish DCM phoned me this afternoon to say he will be giving an interview on Swedish TV at 1 am Washington time on the issue of the Swedish detainee. The head of the Swedish legal department Anders Kruse and the father of the detainee will also be interviewed live on the program. DCM indicated that the decision yesterday against detainee trials in the US has intensified Swedish media interest in this issue. US is not being portrayed positively in these reports. Here is full FBIS translation of a Swedish press report on the Swedish detainee. Sweden Makes Renewed Appeals to US on Swedish Taliban EUP20020731000218 Stockholm Svenska Dagbladet in Swedish 31 Jul 02 p 9 [Article by Peter Carlberg: "New Appeals on Swede in Cuba Met with Silence"] [FBIS Translated Text] Sweden has made new appeals to the American foreign policy administration about the "Swedish Taliban" who is imprisoned without trial at an American base on Cuba. But Washington does not even want to say whether letters to
him have been delivered.
Yesterday at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba it was calm; 33 degrees celsius in the shade. Under the corrugated roofs where the 564 "illegal combatants" are being held in cages, it was probably more. The humidity was 81 percent. How the 22 year old Swede, who was captured by American forces in Pakistan six months ago, is actually doing is unclear. "We have not even found out if the letters from his lawyer and his father at home in Orebro have been delivered," said Mattias Sundholm at the Foreign Ministry press office in Stockholm. Right now it is the height of summer and vacation time. Sweden's Foreign
Minister Anna Lindh will not return to duty for two weeks and only then, at the earliest, can things begin to move again. During July, Ambassador Jan Eliasson has taken up the issue of the Swede on two occasions with the
State Department in Washington anyway. On 8 July he declared that it was unacceptable that there had been no answer on what will happen to the Swede. The answer was only that an investigation is ongoing. On 11 July Eliasson met with the head of the legal section, Taft, to find out if the two letters from the Swede's lawyer and his father in Orebro had arrived. But the arrogance on the American side is complete. Two weeks later there
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is still no answer to the question. During April Anna Lindh made an appeal to Colin Powell. and in May Defense Minister Bjorn von Sydow took up the issue with Deputy Secretary of
Defense Wolfowitz. Everything indicates that the issue will again be taken
at the ministerial level when Anna Lindh returns in the middle of August.
Sweden's position is that the Swede should either be told what he is
accused of or be freed. Today the Swede is not formally accused of
anything. At the same time, there is a threat of the death penalty
against
him. The US does not recognize the "illegal combatants" as prisoners of
war according to the Geneva Convention.
Criticism of the US' way of handling the Cuban prisoners is increasing
both inside and outside the country. Amnesty is criticizing the situation
in no uncertain terms and in Los Angeles there is a trial to get American
courts recognized as legal forums for prisoners who are not Americans.
The fact that the US chose Guantanamo to place the prisoners is because
it
can be considered a lawless country. The American Taliban John Walker has
been treated differently and was granted a legal hearing.
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