http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,12333945-421,00.html
'Spy' was a decent man, says ex A FORMER girlfriend of expelled Israeli embassy consul, Amir Laty, has broken her silence on the relationship, denying claims he preyed on women for information. Mr Laty, who has also has been accused of targeting Attorney-General Philip Ruddock's daughter Caitlin was sent home late last year. The Canberra bureaucrat, who asked The Australian not to name her, said she had been shocked by reports that her former boyfriend was a "harasser". "I was surprised to read that he apparently unnerved and harassed women," she said. "This was not my, or my friends', experience." The woman, whose relationship with Mr Laty ended more than a year ago, is one of several women he was involved with while he was posted in Australia. While Mr Laty has been accused of spying and cultivating high-profile contacts, his role as a consular official also took him around the country assisting genuinely needy Israelis, his friends said yesterday. On one occasion he had had to deal with a seriously mentally ill man in Melbourne, and organise for him to be treated, sources said yesterday. His ex-girlfriend said he was a decent man. "We found him to be an intelligent, considered and articulate person," she said. Mr Laty was friends with Caitlin Ruddock, first meeting her several years ago at Beijing university. Ms Ruddock had invited the young Israeli diplomat to Christmas dinner at the Ruddock family home in Sydney but he did not attend. The Howard Government has declined to state the reasons for Mr Laty's departure or comment on whether he may have been working with the Israeli security service, Mossad. Mr Laty left Australia on December 28 after Canberra determined that his behaviour as consul went well beyond normal diplomatic duties. His attempts during his 15-month stay to cultivate a number of female public servants working in the departments of Defence and Prime Minister and Cabinet, and other key government agencies led to a recommendation from ASIO that he not remain in Canberra. And across the Tasman in New Zealand, Israel has opened a "diplomatic conversation" in a bid to improve relations soured after two alleged Israeli spies tried to fraudulently obtain New Zealand passports, Prime Minister Helen Clark said yesterday. Israel had approached the New Zealand ambassador in Turkey, who is also accredited to Israel, in the past week or so, Miss Clark told local radio. "That diplomatic conversation has begun," she said. But the New Zealand Herald quoted a senior government source as saying a draft "statement of regret" from Israel over the passport incident had been rejected by Wellington. The draft had fallen short of the apology demanded by Miss Clark, the source said. Two suspected Mossad agents, Uriel Zoshe Kelman and Eli Cara, were deported last September after serving two months of six-month sentences. -- I do benefits for all religions. I'd hate to blow the hereafter on a technicality. -- Bob Hope ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
