Clinton says WikiLeaks won’t hurt US diplomacy

She said the leak of thousands of sensitive US embassy cables will not hurt American diplomacy.

The leak of thousands of sensitive US embassy cables will not hurt American diplomacy,US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton declared Wednesday at a security summit.

Clinton said she has discussed the revelations published on the WikiLeaks website with her colleagues at the summit in Astana,the capital of Kazakhstan. The event is the first major international meeting of leaders and top diplomats since the memos began appearing on the website and in international publications this week.

The secret memos published by WikiLeaks contain frank details on several leaders attending the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe meeting. One note allegedly written by a US diplomat in Kazakhstan details scenes of hard-drinking hedonism by several senior Kazakh ministers. The same report describes Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev as horse-obsessed and given to taking refuge from the often-frigid capital at a holiday home in the United Arab Emirates.

Other prospective conference delegates described less than flatteringly in the leaked cables include Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

“I have certainly raised the issue of the leaks in order to assure our colleagues that it will not in any way interfere with American diplomacy or our commitment to continuing important work that is ongoing,” Clinton said.

“I have not any had any concerns expressed about whether any nation will not continue to work with and discuss matters of importance to us both going forward.”

Several officials at the summit echoed her comments. British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg,who met today with Clinton,released a statement saying the “recent Wikileaks disclosures would not affect our uniquely strong relationship.”

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Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev also said “this will have no bearing on our strategic relationship.”

The Obama administration has harshly criticised the leaking of the cables,saying the details in them could put lives at risk.

“I anticipate that there will be a lot of questions that people have every right and reason to ask,and we stand ready to discuss them at any time with our counterparts around the world,” Clinton added.