All's fair in love and diplomacy.
Mar. 19th, 2003 09:49 pmI'm sure you've all seen the article at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2864063.stm
about bugs found in rooms used by EU delegations. The obvious conclusion to jump to - and the one to which Le Figaro has duly jumped - is that it's those dastardly Yanks up to no good again. Now, I'm not going to say it isn't - because let's face it, it may well be - but it occurs to me that it's as likely to be the French government spying on the German or British delegation. Or Tony Blair trying to make sure that our own delegation stays on-message, possibly.
It'll be very interesting to see what answer the investigation comes up with, and what they say their evidence is.
about bugs found in rooms used by EU delegations. The obvious conclusion to jump to - and the one to which Le Figaro has duly jumped - is that it's those dastardly Yanks up to no good again. Now, I'm not going to say it isn't - because let's face it, it may well be - but it occurs to me that it's as likely to be the French government spying on the German or British delegation. Or Tony Blair trying to make sure that our own delegation stays on-message, possibly.
It'll be very interesting to see what answer the investigation comes up with, and what they say their evidence is.
no subject
Date: 2003-03-19 02:48 pm (UTC)Seriously tho', as the devices were found in the *EU offices* and not in *UN offices*, I strongly suspect that this is an intra-EU thing. The Yanks don't give too much of a shit about what peoples' stances are on CAP, etc - how many Euros one gets for a cow vs an olive bush - but within the EU these things are of paramount importance. Sacre bleu!
no subject
Date: 2003-03-19 03:04 pm (UTC)And bugging your own offices is a good way to divert suspicion away from yourself, and surely intelligence services must realise that...
The US will be interested in some EU business though. Not necessarily Iraq, but trade and industry is possible.
Could be Russia, worried by the expansion of the EU into former Warsaw Pact nations.
There's many many likely possibilities.
no subject
Date: 2003-03-19 04:28 pm (UTC)