Azerbaijani President Iham Aliyev awoke Friday to the diplomatic equivalent of a severed horse head in his bed.

According to a leaked U.S. diplomatic cable, the staff of the U.S. Embassy in Baku has been comparing the president, rather unflatteringly, to Sonny Corleone, the most impulsive and thin-skinned of Don Vito Corleone’s sons in the hit novel and film trilogy, "The Godfather."

In a secret cable entitled “President Ilham Aliyev – Michael (Corleone) on the outside, Sonny on the inside,” sent in September 2009, U.S. diplomats describe the Azerbaijan president as similar to Michael Corleone -– which is to say, “cool-headed” and “realistic” –- when dealing with foreign partners, but similar to Sonny Corleone –- which translates to “harsh,” over-reactive, and “increasingly authoritarian” -– when dealing with domestic issues.

Algeria is now considered America's closest ally in the fight against Al Qaeda in North Africa, an unlikely partnership that emerged following years of strained relations, leaked US diplomatic cables obtained by Babylon & Beyond show.

The documents show extensive intelligence, security and, increasingly, economic cooperation between the two states, despite Algeria's violent history, oppressive government and ongoing tensions over its placement on the American Transportation Security Administration's enhanced screening watch list in January 2010.

A detailed timeline of "major anti-terrorism successes" of 2008 including the killing or capture of at least 19 militant figures, several major illegal weapons cache discoveries and a thwarted assassination attempt on then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she visited Algeria in September of that year.

"It is worth remembering that no country is more important than Algeria in the fight against Al Qaeda in the Sahel and Maghreb," the American ambassador to Algiers, David D. Pearce, wrote in a Jan. 6, 2010, cable.

Osama Nujeifi, a leading but controversial figure in the Iraqiya coalition, was elected speaker of the Council of Representatives last month with 227 of 295 votes. His election marked a first step in implementing an agreement that ended an eight-month deadlock in Iraq. The agreement gave Iraqiya the position of speaker of parliament, the National Alliance the position of prime minister — thereby leaving Nouri Maliki in office — and the Kurdish alliance the presidency, ensuring the return of Jalal Talabani.

The choice of Nujeifi as the Iraqiya candidate for the speaker’s position is not surprising: In the April elections, he garnered 275,000 votes — only Maliki and Ayad Allawi received more. But the choice is likely to prove controversial among Kurds.

Nujeifi and his brother Atheel Nujeifi, the governor of Nineveh province, are considered Arab nationalists and have long rejected Kurdish claims over Kirkuk and parts of Nineveh. Their outspoken views — as well as similar stances of other players within Iraqiya — were a key obstacle to the formation of an alliance between Iraqiya and the Kurdish parties that could have created an alternative to a State of Law government.

Lebanon's Defense Minister Elias Murr told Americans the army would stay out of the way if Israel tried to wipe out Hezbollah, according to a secret March 2008 conversation revealed in a diplomatic cable revealed by WikiLeaks.

[Updated at 7:53 a.m.: The cable originated from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and was sent to the State Department in Washington.]

"Making clear that he was not responsible for passing messages to Israel, Murr told us that Israel would do well to avoid two things when it comes for Hizbollah," the cable read.

"One, it must not touch the Blue Line or the UNSCR 1701 areas as this will keep Hizbollah out of these areas," the memo read, referring to the southern Lebanese area now patrolled by thousands of international troops.

"Two, Israel cannot bomb bridges and infrastructure in the Christian areas," Murr was cited as saying.

The exact nature of Hezbollah's relationship to the state is not entirely clear, although the group's aim of confronting Israel is enshrined in the government policy statement and enjoys support across Lebanon.

As results come in for Egypt’s People’s Assembly elections — surprise, a victory for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) — they enjoy little credibility either inside or outside the country due to the total lack of transparency and the widespread irregularities and violence that characterized the voting and counting processes. In fact, the main opposition groups (the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd) have announced they will boycott the runoff round to protest massive irregularities.

Extensive restrictions on media coverage and civil society monitoring ensured there would be little transparency on election day. Egyptian authorities prevented live satellite broadcasts from the country and canceled planned television programs by major media outlets, including the BBC.

After rebuffing requests from international organizations to observe the elections by citing an extensive domestic monitoring effort, Egyptian authorities impeded the work of local civil society monitors. Only a small percentage were granted official credentials; of these, most were either denied entry to polling and counting stations or evicted after they entered.

At a time when the poorest Arab nation is torn by internal conflicts and escalating threats from Al Qaeda, soccer's Gulf Cup is calming Yemen's spirit and easing its financial woes.

The Yemeni minister of tourism said this week that the tournament, taking place between Nov.22 and Dec.5, has drawn about 20,000 fans from neighboring countries in the Arab peninsula to watch games in the cities of Aden and Abin.

"Revenues from hosting the Gulf Cup have so far exceeded the $600-million margin. We consider this tournament to become the future gate of Yemeni tourism," said the minister, Nabil Al Faqih.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday took the opportunity of laying the cornerstone for the new presidential headquarters just north of the West Bank city of Ramallah to tell the world that he was still waiting for U.S. answers regarding an Israeli settlement freeze that would pave the way for resuming direct negotiations.

However, he said, the answer may come as early as Thursday.

“We did not yet receive the official U.S. answers on stopping settlements,” Abbas said. “Maybe we will hear something official tomorrow."

If Israel accepts a freeze, "we are ready" to restart talks, he said. "If not, we will say this option is over and we will search for an alternative.”

Even though Canadian officials told American counterparts that they were "very, very worried" about Iran's ambitions and actions, they continued to maintain contacts between Ottawa and Tehran's spy services, said a secret July 9, 2008, dispatch by the United States Embassy in the Canadian capital.

Jim Judd, retired chief of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, told an American diplomat that his agency had recently talked to Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security after the agency had requested "its own channel of communication" to Canadians.

He told Americans, "The Iranians agreed to 'help' on Afghan issues, including sharing information regarding potential attacks."

Both Canadians and Americans are part of the international forces attempting to secure Afghanistan.

The Canadians were deeply suspicious of the Iranians' motives and appeared to have rebuffed the offer. 

"We have not figured out what they are up to," Judd was quoted as saying, since the Iranians want the multinational force in Afghanistan in to "bleed ... slowly."

-- Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

After its accusations of government fraud and vote buying during Sunday's first round of the parliamentary elections, Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has decided not to take part in this weekend's runoff poll.

The decision comes one day after the Higher Elections Committee announced the first round's official results in which the Islamist group failed to win a single seat, but still had 27 candidates to compete in the runoff.

"The violations, terror and hooliganism we were subjected to at the hands of security forces and NDP [National Democratic Party] thugs before and during elections, all of which were reported by civil and media organizations, as well as the forged results, made us reconsider taking part in the runoff," Mohamed Badee, the Brotherhood's Supreme Guide, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Tempers flared in Iran on Wednesday as authorities held a funeral for Iranian nuclear physicians Majid Shahriari, who was killed in one of two reported attacks against the country's atomic brain trust.

Iranian officials blamed the West and Israel for the attacks.

"They mention the names of our scientists in their [United Nations] resolutions and provide the Zionist dogs with a copy and tell them to kill," President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Mazandaran province, according to the semi-official Fars news agency 

 Monday's announcement of the next chief of Israel's Mossad ended the mystery about who will succeed leadership of the country's spy agency. Tamir Pardo, known to the public until now only as "T" and to his neighbors as the guy next door, was tapped this week to fill the formidable pair of shoes soon to be vacated by Meir Dagan, once dubbed  in the Arab press as the "Superman of the Jewish State."

Pardo, 57, a father and grandfather, served in the Israel Defense Force's elite Sayeret Matkal unit and took part in the 1976 operation to rescue the hostages on the hijacked Air France plane at Entebbe, Uganda. Yoni Netanyahu, brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was killed in the operation, and Pardo reportedly had remained a close friend of the family.

Netanyahu's choice of Pardo met with the approval of his defense minister, Ehud Barak, despite his support for GSS chief Yuval Diskin as successor. Pardo is "the right person to lead the organization over the next few years, in light of the complex challenges facing the State of Israel," Netanyahu said.

Pardo said he was excited about the appointment. "I have big shoes to fill and a lot of work", he told reporters, and asked that his family's privacy be respected. Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs weren't publicly identified until 1996 (for security, not privacy). 

At least three Iraqi civilians were killed and 22 injured in a car bomb attack late Monday in the still-volatile city of Baqubah, an agricultural hub about 35 miles northeast of Baghdad, a security source said.

One news agency reported that the death toll had risen to four by Tuesday.

The car bomb exploded in an area with popular restaurants and cafes.

-- A correspondent in Baqubah

Photo: An Iraqi firefighter douses a street at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baqubah. Credit: Ali Mohammed/European Pressphoto Agency