THE HAGUE: Dutch military intelligence warned the CIA of a Ukrainian plan to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline three months before explosions damaged the undersea system, news reports said Tuesday.
The US spy agency then urged Kyiv not to go ahead with the operation, Dutch NOS public broadcaster reported, in collaboration with German broadcaster ARD and national weekly Die Zeit.
The CIA warned Ukraine “after receiving an alarming report from the Dutch Military Intelligence Services (MIVD) which heard about the plans via a Ukrainian source,” NOS said.
The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA was tipped off about the Ukrainian plans by a European spy agency, but it did not say which country was responsible.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren declined to comment when asked about the reports.
“I cannot comment on the work of our intelligence services,” she told reporters at a press conference in Amsterdam, adding that the incident was under investigation by Germany, Sweden and Denmark.
The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, built to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany, were rocked by underwater explosions on September 26.
The Netherlands was one of the key stakeholders in Nord Stream along with Russia, France and Germany.
Accusations were made against several countries including Russia, the United States and Ukraine, but all denied responsibility. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month again denied Kyiv’s involvement.
The plan allegedly intercepted by Dutch intelligence said that top Ukrainian general Valerii Zaluzhnyi was in charge of the operation, involving a small team of divers using a sailing boat, and that Zelensky was not aware, NOS said.
It said that along with German media it had spoken to several international intelligence sources who were aware of the involvement of the MIVD.
The Washington Post said documents leaked by a US Air National Guard computer technician indicated that an unnamed European spy service had told the US Central Intelligence Agency about the plan in June 2022.
Meanwhile, German investigators are probing evidence that Poland was used as a staging base for the operation, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.
Dutch spies warned CIA of Nord Stream attack plot: reports
https://arab.news/m4t5q
Dutch spies warned CIA of Nord Stream attack plot: reports
- The CIA warned Ukraine "after receiving an alarming report from the Dutch Military Intelligence Services (MIVD) which heard about the plans via a Ukrainian source"
- The Washington Post reported last week that the CIA was tipped off about the Ukrainian plans by a European spy agency
Indonesia’s first woman president awarded honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah University
- Megawati was recognized for her leadership and contributions to social, legal affairs
- She has received 10 other honorary degrees from Indonesian and foreign institutions
JAKARTA: Megawati Sukarnoputri, who served as Indonesia’s fifth president and was the country’s only female head of state to date, has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Riyadh, becoming the first foreign national to receive the title.
Megawati, the eldest daughter of Indonesia’s first President Sukarno and chairwoman of the country’s largest political party, the PDIP, served as president from 2001 to 2004.
The 79-year-old was awarded an honorary doctorate in organizational and legal affairs in Riyadh on Monday during a ceremony overseen by Princess Nourah University’s acting president, Dr. Fawzia bint Sulaiman Al-Amro.
“This recognition was given in appreciation of her efforts during her presidency, her significant contributions to social, organizational, and legal fields, and her role in strengthening institutional leadership in Indonesia,” the university said in a statement.
This is Megawati’s 11th honorary doctorate. She has received similar degrees from Indonesian and foreign universities, including the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in 2003 and the Soka University of Japan in 2020.
She has also been awarded the title of honorary professor by several institutions, including by the Seoul Institute of the Arts in 2022.
“We gather at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, a university that stands as a symbol of women’s progress in education, knowledge and public service … To see so many intelligent women, I feel very proud,” Megawati said in her acceptance speech.
“Women’s empowerment is not a threat to any values, culture or tradition. It is actually a condition for nations that believe in their future … A great nation is one that is able to harness all of its human potential. A strong nation is one that does not allow half of its social power to be left on the sidelines of history.”
Megawati is the longest-serving political leader in Indonesia. Indonesia’s first direct presidential elections took place during her presidency, consolidating the country’s transition to democracy after the downfall of its longtime dictator Suharto in 1998.
