WASHINGTON, May 10 (UPI) -- Competition over the burgeoning defense industry market in South America had U.S. officials feeling threatened by the rise of an Israeli arms firm in the region, leaked diplomatic cables showed.
Cables made public by WikiLeaks and cited in U.S. media said the security company, led by the former head of operations for the Israeli military, made such inroads into Latin America a few years ago that U.S. diplomats saw it as a security risk and moved to thwart the company's expansion.
The diplomats' efforts were made easier when an interpreter for the Israeli firm, Global CST, was allegedly caught peddling classified Colombian Defense Ministry documents to Marxist guerrillas seeking to topple the state, said one cable cited by McClatchy Newspapers.
Global CST marketing led to sales contracts in Colombia, Peru and Panama -- countries with varying levels of close ties with Washington and with shared strategic interests.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2011/05/10/WikiLeaks-show-US-Israel-arms-rivalry-in-S-America/UPI-41171305064677/#ixzz1LzzdUOqZ
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