Why did Ashdown Lose the Key
Agent?
Ekstra Magazin - September 26, 2004
The West Balkans region is becoming the polygon for winning predominance between
intelligence agencies from the US and the Great Britain, a source well informed
about activities in secret services told Extra, adding that revealing identity
of Andrew Monkton, official at the British Embassy in Belgrade and long time
powerful chief of the MI6 department in the Balkans, represents hard slap to
British intelligence network.
Monkton came to Belgrade right before Milosevic was overthrown from power and he
had significant role in Milosevic’s deportation to the Hague. He was uncrowned
king of the western intelligence agencies in the Balkans.
According to our collocutor, Americans are planning to use installment of the
NATO Center in Sarajevo where about 600 civilians will work on intelligence
activities in order to push back indisputable network of intelligence agents who
worked for the interest of the Great Britain. They will also employ people form
loyal countries such as the Netherlands, Nordic and Eastern European countries,
while French and Brits would be marginalized.
Media preparations for war of intelligence agents is being done by a magazine
from Sarajevo that has been revealing intelligence network developed by Brits
for years, by connecting it with crime and corruption in BiH.
Departure of NATO, i.e. SFOR and American soldiers worried Bosniaks and
opposition leaders in both entities who saw hope in them that constitutional
reorganization in BiH will take place, i.e. that they will return on power with
the help of American Ambassador in Sarajevo.
It is the fact that Americans will be present in Bosnia, but character of their
presence and behavior will be totally different. Therefore those aforementioned
do not really have a reason for optimism.
Our source claims that the US will favor those political parties that oppose the
HR to BiH, and this option is for now, only present in the RS. It implicates
that Ashdown, after the recent change of situation, will not be able to
implement his intentions, which is dismissal of politicians according to new
lists for executions and punishments of the RS due to not fulfilling conditions
for cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. Ashdown gave short deadline for
arresting war crime suspects and his intention is to launch revision of the
Dayton Peace Accords (whose final goal is abolishing of the RS) if those
conditions are not met.
However, since he lost Monkton who had to leave Belgrade, he does not have the
key associate who supplied him with important information. Besides Monkton,
Julian Braithwaite, the OHR Information Director who served as liaison between
Ashdown and Monkton, also had to leave.
Intelligence war has regional character and it is being led in Zagreb as well.
In the recent days, Zagreb was plastered with posters that should turn Croatian
public against EU to which Croatia strongly aspires.
The aspiration is so strong that they refused to send their soldiers to Iraq and
it also did not sign the Agreement on Non – Extradition of the US citizens to
ICC. “EU is not cool, but cheese and sour cream are” is the message placed on
billboards in which large amount of money has been invested, Source of money is
not known, but it could be guessed. Such stances created a problem in finding a
suitable person (Croat) for a position in the BiH Intelligence Agency (OSA).
Our source said that this agency will be one the Americans’ trumps in their
attempt to take over intelligence in the Balkans. One experienced Serb pre-war
agent who was on important positions in the RS during and after the war, is
being especially considered. At the present he is standing on the side and his
name is kept secret.
It is interesting that most of agents that have been compromised by revealing of
their names and uncovering of their real activities in the three Balkans’
capitals (Sarajevo, Zagreb, and Belgrade) were at the end of their mandates.
Those who are familiar with this domain concluded that who ever wanted them harm
did not want to jeopardize their security.
All sources familiar with intelligence scene agreed that that this could not
have been coordinated operation of the Bosniak, Croat and Serb intelligence
agencies although all of them were involved in compromising British agents.
Therefore, the conclusion is: it was a question of international intelligence
war that is being led in these areas, while Monkton and others were set up by
one of the big intelligence agencies – with vast use of local resources, i.e.
fears and interests.
Source: Ekstra Magazin (Serbian national bi-weekly from Bijeljina), September
26, 2004
Translated by: U.S. Army Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Cell, ACofS G2 MNB(N)
Posted for Fair Use only.