Turkmenistan snubs former Mossad agent as Israel envoy
In new humiliation to Lieberman, Iran's neighbor refuses credentials to ex-spy expelled from Moscow in '90s.
By Barak Ravid and Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel Mossad Israel newsFor the past four months Turkmenistan has been stalling over the appointment of a former spy and close confidant of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman as Israel's first ambassador to the country, Haaretz has learned.
Israel in October nominated Reuven Dinel, a close associate of Lieberman and a former employee of the Mossad as its envoy to the Central Asian state.
But in a rare diplomatic snub, Turkmenistan has withheld approval the posting.
"They are hoping that we'll take the hint and nominate someone else," one senior diplomat told Haaretz.
Behind the rejection may lie an embarrassing episode that has dogged Dinel for more than a decade. In 1996 the Mossad man was expelled from Moscow after Russian security forces caught him accepting classified satellite photographs from senior army officers.
Foreign ministry sources suspect that Russia, where Dinel remains persona non grata, is pressuring Turkmenistan to block the appointment.
Lieberman first named Dinel as his choice for ambassador in July 2009. The controversial foreign minister is said to attribute special importance to the role, which involves forging new ties with and Muslim-majority country bordering Iran, which Israel sees as the greatest threat to its security.
Dinel has longstanding ties with Lieberman, who as minister of transportation appointed him in 2003 to oversee planning for the Carmel harbor in Haifa. Dinel is currently vice-president of the Israel Ports Company.
The foreign minister, who has suffered a series of setbacks over the past year, including a crisis in relations with Israel's old ally Turkey, is said to see set great store by the former Mossad man's abilities and reportedly sees burgeoning relations with Turkmenistan as one of the crowning achievements of his term of office.
Dinel's appointment to Turkmenistan was officially confirmed by the government on October 25 and a few days later the foreign ministry formally contacted officials in the capital of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, to request consent for the selection.
According to diplomatic protocol, approval of new ambassadors is usually automatic and accompanied by a token bureaucratic process. But in an unusual break with established form, Turkmenistan continues to delay authorization.
Ashgabat has so far not responded to numerous requests from Jerusalem for an explanation, officials said - a source of personal discomfort to Lieberman who had taken on Turkmenistan as a personal project.
"The choice of candidate was strange from the start, if not surreal," a senior diplomat told Haaretz. "They took someone who was a known spy, someone who was slung out of Moscow, and sent him to Turkmenistan - and all this without consulting a single professional adviser."
"What did they think would happen? There is no way the government in Turkmenistan was ever going to agree to this."
Responding to inquiries over the incident, the foreign ministry said in a statement:
"There has been a delay in the opening of an embassy in Turkmenistan because of a number of difficulties that have emerged, mostly regarding security. This is in no way uncommon when opening a new mission and we hope to overcome these issues during the coming weeks."
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The head line itself is an insult.
Typical arrogance. Knowing him, he'll try to force his dumb choice down their throats, and Turkmenistan is going to end up pissed and telling Israel to buzz off!
That's what.
you guys that prysing turkmenistan, have you ever visited this early medieval country. i have a strange honor to serve part of my military service there. after ashkhabad cairo is first world city. i never visited in my life more backvard country. in schools they study almost all the time 1 book - exept al koran -only, book by turkmenbashi - father of turkmens and their last president. biggest business in the country is building monuments for him and there are or was company in israel that did just that and made a lot of money. i was told that only north korea is worse but i never visited NK.
Lieberman belongs in jail with Ayalon as his cell mate...!!!
Anyone taking bets on who goes over the finish line ---uhuh, Second.
Anyone taking bets on who goes over the finish line ---uhuh, Second.
A Moldovan bouncer set up as a foreign minister and a spy as an ambassador. See how national humbris and arrogance as statecraft can blind those who think themselves exempt? Chalk up yet another persona non grata from this government, ewither they are banned or subject to arrest. Pathetic. To think this is a nation that had diplomats of the calibre of Abba Eban or Moshe Sharret.
Lieberman will put too much damage on Israel which nobody can repair it. Get rid of this guy who do not care about emage of Israel. He is not from Israel, he is from Russia. Can you believe it he cares about Israel image?
Every day, something new. Every single day.
pleasant dreams :)
A petty little man used to getting his way by bullying and intimidation. Persona non grata. Cheers for Turkmenistan who has snubbed him. Guess that is another flop for the one who calls himself a diplomat. Israel is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
It is obvious that Turkmenistan does not want Reuven Daniel as an Ambassador to their country. While it is usually protocol for a country to accept the nominated individual, there is no way to force them to do so. In this case they probably have very good reasons, and no doubt Lieberman has some clue by now as to what those reasons are. I suggest he stops behaving like "a bull in a china shop", and adopts a more diplomatic and reasonable attitude. It does Israel's reputation in the wider world little good for these continuous mistakes to receive an airing in the press. It is time to put on the thinking cap and spend more time in consultation with advisers who have the relevant Foreign Ministry experience, before taking action which is likely to prove controversial.
..in a rare diplomatic snub, Turkmenistan has withheld approval the posting === ...approval of the posting [or approving the posting] ...which involves forging new ties with and Muslim-majority country ===...new ties with any Muslim-majority country ..Daniel is currently vice-president of the Israel Ports Company === ....Israel Ports Authority ...in relations with Israel's old ally Turkey, is said to see set great store === ...is said to set great store
-ed too ,because he was Jewish. Not sure you'd be kosher enough for them too ,your marrano zeal notwithstanding. Happy Days.
I agree that it seems a little dumb to nominate a known spy. But I will say I could care less if he was a spy. Most countries have spies and a secret service agency, Daniel did what he was trained to do, so what?
That was the "spassibo" for supporting Georgia and all the former:-) russian criminal oligarchs now residing in israel. More to come.
After the Dubai stink Lieberman is deranged enough to appoint a spy as an ambassador to an Islamic nation? Has Israel become an asylum run by luntics? Folks, your government needs adult supervision.
Thank you Turkmenistan for having balls to stand to the Israel goverment! let him stay where he is or your country will be a spy-ring for Israel
...sending them a persona-non-grata from wherever... ... only Lieberman could have thought this up... ... but what about Bibi?... doesn't he vet Foreign Min appointments?...
Proposed Israeli envoys snubbed. Happy Days
Those EX MOSSAD guys will turn your country into a crime hub as they have done in Austria to deflect the attention away from israel. Just be careful specially that lieberman is the guy who recommended the new ambassador, Not to be trusted. WATCHOUT.
Like somebody once said: "There are none so blind as those who will not see."