WikiLeaks release of classified information to be condemned

WikiLeaks release of classified information to be condemned-WikiLeaks release of classified information to be condemned-The United States deeply regrets any disclosure of classified information, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday in her first comment on the release of State Department cables by whistle-blower website WikiLeaks.
I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential, including private discussions between counterparts or our diplomats’ personal assessments and observations. I want to make clear that our official foreign policy is not set through these messages but here in Washington, she told reporters at a press conference. I want you to know that we are taking aggressive steps to hold responsible those who stole this information. I have directed that specific actions be taken at the State Department. In addition to new security safe guards at the Department of Defense and elsewhere to protect State Department information so this kind of breech cannot and does not ever happen again, Clinton said. Clinton said the release of such documents undermines US efforts to work with other countries but she was confident US relations would “withstand” the challenge posed by the disclosures. The White House, Pentagon and State Department have all said that they are tightening up procedures to ensure that such disclosures do not occur again.
Read More: WikiLeaks release of classified information to be condemned

WikiLeaks release of classified information to be condemned

U.S. to tighten security after WikiLeaks disclosure

 The White House ordered tighter security on Monday to prevent leaks like the release of more than 250,000 State Department cables that have embarrassed the U.S. government and some of its allies.

Sunday's release of documents obtained by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks exposed the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy in recent years, including candid assessments of world leaders and disclosures on issues such as Iran's nuclear and missile programs.

U.S. authorities also were conducting a criminal investigation of the leak of classified documents, which WikiLeaks provided to five media groups that published reports on them, the Justice Department said on Monday.

Among the revelations was that Saudi King Abdullah repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran's nuclear program. The documents cited him as saying: "cut off the head of the snake," according to the Guardian newspaper of Britain.

The New York Times also reported impolitic comments about foreign leaders, including a description of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's head of state, as playing "Robin to (Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin's Batman."

The White House, which harshly condemned the release and said the disclosures may endanger U.S. informants abroad, ordered government agencies to tighten procedures for handling classified information.

The new procedures would ensure "that users do not have broader access than is necessary to do their jobs effectively," and would put restrictions on the handling of classified material, according to a directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget released on Monday.
Read More: U.S. to tighten security after WikiLeaks disclosure

U.S. to tighten security after WikiLeaks disclosure

WikiLeaks: Hillary wanted Indians spied over UNSC bid

Amidst the massive debris of confidential, secret and unclassified information contained within United States diplomatic cables across the world and exposed by WikiLeaks, notable comments on India have begun to emerge, including the U.S. viewing India as a “self-appointed frontrunner” in the race for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The whistleblower website headed by Australian Julian Assange had, by Monday evening, put out over 240 out of a quarter of a million communications between State Department officials in Washington and in numerous U.S. diplomatic outposts.

In addition to the reported comment on India’s bid for the UNSC seat, the dispatches published thus far also described a conversation between Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and visiting National Defence University President Lieutenant General Michael Dunn.

In the discussion, classified as secret by United Arab Emirates Ambassador Michele Sison, the Crown Prince, dubbed “MbZ,” was described as hinting about Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s interest in the UAE obtaining Predator drones from the U.S..

These drones are “hunter-killers,” often armed with Hellfire missiles, as opposed to mere reconnaissance drones, and India has expressed concern in the past that any Pakistani access to such drones could inflame tensions on the border.

According to the cable, during the conversation the Ambassador “asked about MbZ’s visit the week before to Lahore to meet with Pakistani President Musharraf. MbZ chuckled and asked why the U.S. government “always” convinced the Pakistanis to delay news of the capture of senior al-Qaeda operatives such as Abu Faraj al Libbi.”

The cable went on to add that the Crown Prince congratulated Washington for its decision to allow U.S. firms to bid for contracts to provide F-16 combat aircraft and other defence technology to Pakistan, adding that even if “the Indians had and would continue to balk at the decision, the region needed Musharraf to stay strong.”

Further the cable quoted the Crown Prince as saying that the F-16 decision would not tip the military balance between India and Pakistan. “Even if it had, India's strength as a stable democracy would ensure that it would not ever be in as risky a situation as its neighbour,” he said.

The cable then said that “MbZ slapped his knee and said “You will never guess what Musharraf asked me...he asked me whether the UAE had received approval for the Predator!”
Read More: WikiLeaks: Hillary wanted Indians spied over UNSC bid

WikiLeaks: Hillary wanted Indians spied over UNSC bid

WikiLeaks documents send shock waves around the globe

A massive document dump – more than 250,000 U.S diplomatic cables made public Sunday by WikiLeaks – sent shock waves around the globe as the Obama administration coped with the fallout of revelations ranging from stunning to salacious as its policies and methods of dealing with friends and foes were embarrassingly laid bare.
The trove reveals candid assessments of foreign leaders, secret details of the global anti-terrorist campaign and embarrassing details of American diplomats gathering sordid details of the sex lives of foreign leaders.
Canada barely rates a mention, so far. The documents were apparently stolen earlier by someone inside the U.S. government with the security clearance and the computer access to classified files.
Among the revelations in the secret diplomatic messages: America’s close Arab allies have urged it to strike Iran – by bombing nuclear sites and decapitating the ruling Islamic theocracy; cyberwarriors from China’s communist politburo have attacked U.S. government computer networks.
“Cut off the head of the snake," King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia said, referring to Tehran, a call to arms he has repeatedly made to both the Bush and Obama administrations. It was a bellicose call, one echoed by Egyptian and other Arab leaders who regard the rising Iranian power across the gulf as an ``existential threat.”
Read More: WikiLeaks documents send shock waves around the globe

WikiLeaks documents send shock waves around the globe