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Latynina’s Fantasies

 

I

It is pity the Moscow Times editors do not clearly signpost Ms Julia Latynina’s pieces as Fantasy in order to disabuse the foreign reader who perhaps is not aware that she is better known in Russia as a prolific fantasy writer much loved by teenagers rather than a journalist. Recently she wrote a short piece in the MT concerning me, the RR (Russki Reporter) Magazine and the Wikileaks which is chockfull of lies, errors and personal smears.

Her ignorance exceeds only her self-confidence. Latynina wrote: “One article [co-authored by me – ISH] claims that “before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the UN General Assembly, the U.S. State Department sent a directive to all European countries indicating when their representatives should leave the hall.” The Swedish ambassador was instructed to leave the room once he heard the word “holocaust,” the article claimed, but Ahmadinejad unexpectedly never pronounced the word. “The representatives of other countries left, but the Swedish diplomat remained in the hall, sending alarm signals and asking his American mentor, ‘What should I do?’” Russian Reporter wrote. There is just one problem with this claim: Russian Reporter made all of this up. The diplomatic cables posted on WikiLeaks said nothing of the sort. End of quote”

If she would know as much as an average reader, if she would but once look at Wikileaks site, she’d learn that only approximately one thousand cables out of two hundred fifty thousand (i.e. less than one per cent) were published. Latynina did not read this cable, or any cable but she is sure that it is not there, like a schoolgirl who does not believe in the relativity theory because it is not found in her textbook. Actually, my article provided teasers for the cables which will be released in due time. And the UN-Swedish cable has been published in accordance to the prearranged timetable. As opposed to Ms Latynina, nor I neither the RR magazine are not used to “make all of this up”; this is a privilege of fantasy writer. 

Here is the cable in full: http://wikileaks.nl/cable/2009/09/09STOCKHOLM615.html

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000615 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV IR UN EUN SW

SUBJECT: "WE LOOK UNCOORDINATED": SWEDES "EMBARRASSED" BY EU BEHAVIOR AT AHMADINEJAD SPEECH REF: STOCKHOLM 600

Classified By: PolCouns Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D).

1. (C) In a September 25 discussion with Poloff, Swedish Desk Officer for Iran, Ulf Samuelsson, confirmed media reports that Sweden, as EU President, did not/not walk out during Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad's UNGA speech on September 24. He said the red lines agreed upon by the EU-27 -- the denial of the Holocaust or of the right for Israel to exist -- were not crossed in the speech. Nonetheless, some EU members walked out, but the choice was an "individual decision" by those states, Samuelsson said. Sweden is, in general, uncomfortable with using walk-outs as a punitive tool in UNGA. Samuelsson added that were Sweden to use the tool "equally," it would have walked out on a number of leaders' speeches at UNGA this year. Sweden would rather respond in other ways to objectionable/heinous statements at UNGA.

2. (C) Separately, Andres Jato, chief of staff to MFA Political Director Bjorn Lyrvall, told Pol Counselor the same day that the lack of EU coordination was "embarrassing." EU Member States were represented at the counselor level during Ahmadenijad's speech, and Lyrvall was listening "outside with headphones on," ready to give the "pre-arranged signal" for all EU reps to walk out. He was "surprised" when he saw first the Germans and then other EU delegations stream past him without the agreed-upon redlines having been crossed. "We look like we can't coordinate anything," Jato lamented. BARZUN

Further on, Latynina writes: “RR magazine created an unpleasant surprise by running a series of articles containing outright lies. The first article focused on the Russia-Georgia war of 2008: “Reading the reports of U.S. ambassadors to Georgia … no one in the world had any illusions about the fact that [Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili started the war.” But U.S. ambassadors had the exact opposite opinion on who was responsible for the conflict.” – she writes.

However, if she would read the RR publication, she’d find the secret dispatch WARSAW 000953 saying that “General Gagor, Polish CHOD criticized Georgian President Saakashvili for playing into Russian hands, leaving in ruins both his army as well as Georgia's MAP candidacy. .. Gagor said (adding that he is supported by discussions with senior Polish officials) Saaskashvili made an extremely bad decision to move into South Ossetia…” Apparently the Americans had no illusions about the fact that Saakashvili started the war, otherwise they would correct General Gagor. It is just Ms Latynina has a different view. For her, Russia is always guilty, America (and Israel) are always right.

As readers may remember, Ms Latynina approved of Israeli massacre of the Freedom flotilla, of Israeli bombardment of Gaza and Lebanon. Not only approved – she positively gloated over the dead bodies of Palestinian children. That is why I am not amazed by her smears. Our views are different, as different as they may be.

However, my “antisemitism” and her Russophobia, my “denial of Holocaust” and her denial of Christ are not directly connected to the Wikileaks story and are quite irrelevant. What is relevant for your reader is that her writing is sloppy and her facts are not reliable.

 

Israel Adam Shamir

 

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