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UK still awaiting Israeli pledge not to clone passports

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

London, May 4, IRNA -- The British government is still awaiting formal assurances from Israel never to again clone passports after being demanded by Foreign Secretary David Miliband six weeks ago.

The demand was made following the expulsion of an Israeli diplomat, believed to be Mossad’s London chief and linked as a precondition for any replacement.

“We have asked for specific assurances from Israel, which would clearly be a positive step towards rebuilding that trust,” a Foreign Office spokesman confirmed Tuesday.

“Any Israeli request for the diplomat to be replaced would be considered against the context of these UK requests,” the spokesman told IRNA.

Reports in Israel claimed that Britain was refusing to accept a replacement diplomat until it received a written commitment not to misuse UK passports.

But the Foreign Office spokesman said that there had been “no approach from the Israelis about a replacement.” But he added that Britain looked forward to Israel “to rebuild the trust we believe is required for the full and open relationship we would like.”

In his demand, Miliband said “compelling evidence” had been found that Israel’s intelligence agency had cloned British passports following Mossad’s assassination of a Hamas official in Dubai in January.

“The fact that that was done by a country that is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the UK, only adds insult to injury. No country or Government could stand by in such a situation,” he told parliament in January.

Yediot daily said that Israel had avoided signing such a commitment, “probably because it would be interpreted as a confession that Israel did misuse British passports in the Dubai operation” and hinted it may be waiting for a change of government in the UK.

If, as expected, the Conservatives form the next government “an improvement in bilateral relations is expected and perhaps the rehabilitation of the intelligence ties between the two countries,” it said.