[PHOTO FROM LEFT - THE WIKILEAKS WEBSITE, RIGHT - THE FOUNDER JULIAN ASSANGE]
MANILA, DECEMBER 1, 2010 (STAR) By Pia Lee-Brago - A total of 1,796 of the more than 250,000 diplomatic cables sent by US embassies around the globe between 1966 and February this year – and made available online by WikiLeaks – came from Manila.
Online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, an organization devoted to revealing secret documents, has drawn condemnation from the US government for its revelations.
"The cables, which date from 1966 up until the end of February this year, contain confidential communications between 274 embassies in countries throughout the world and the State Department in Washington DC. 15,652 of the cables are classified Secret," abs-cbnnews said, quoting WikiLeaks as stating in its website.
The American mission in Manila is the 44th among the 274 embassies and consulates around the world and the fourth in Southeast Asia with the biggest number of cables that had leaked.
The Guardian newspaper in the United Kingdom said that all but two of the total sent by the US embassy in Manila were sent between January 2005 and February 2010. The two remaining leaked cables were dated Nov. 21, 2001 and July 19, 1994. The diplomatic cables have also been sent to other global publications.
US embassy spokesperson Rebecca Thompson said "any unauthorized disclosure of classified information by WikiLeaks has harmful implications for the lives of identified individuals that are jeopardized, but also for global engagement among and between nations."
"Given its potential impact, we condemn such unauthorized disclosures and are taking every step to prevent future security breaches," Thompson said in a text message.
The Jakarta Globe report said the US embassy in Indonesia has the biggest number of cables sent from Southeast Asia.
From Indonesia, the US embassy sent 3,059 cables while the US consulate in Surabaya sent 167. Most of the cables tackled human rights, security, refugees and labor.
The US embassies in Bangkok sent 2941; Rangoon, 1854; Kuala Lumpur, 994; Phnom Penh, 777; Singapore, 704; Dili, 390; Bandar Seri Begawan, 256.
The Guardian newspaper reported that cables from Manila were classified as follows: 982 "unclassified" cables; 749 "classified" and 65 "secret."
When asked if US Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. had briefed Manila in advance of the release by WikiLeaks, Thompson said there would be more information from the embassy today.
The embassy also released a White House statement that Washington had anticipated the release of the cables detailing private diplomatic discussions with foreign governments.
Authenticity questioned
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday the authenticity of the leaked State Department documents should be verified first.
"We need first to ascertain the authenticity of these papers. We understand that Philippine-related materials are not among those which have been uploaded to their website at this time," said DFA spokesperson J. Eduardo Malaya in a text message to The STAR.
"Nonetheless, the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive diplomatic reports is very disturbing," he added.
A senior diplomat, who asked not to be named, said unauthorized disclosure of US embassy reports and communications would probably serve no useful purpose in the long run, other than to delight those who wish to embarrass the US government and the foreign personalities named in the reports.
"On the other hand, it may merely prejudice the safety of well-intentioned people who have worked with the Americans for the benefit of both countries. Confidentiality is vital in the give-and-take among countries. Political leaders will rarely compromise if such is to be done in the full glare of media," the diplomat said.
The diplomat said that "national interest being at times immutable and its pursuit paramount, government leaders and diplomats will continue to do what they have to do."
In condemning the leak, White House also said field reporting to Washington may be candid and often carries incomplete information. It said diplomatic cables do not necessarily express US policy, nor shape policy decisions.
"President Barack Obama supports responsible, accountable, and open government at home and around the world, but this reckless and dangerous action runs counter to that goal," Washington said.
"By releasing stolen and classified documents, WikiLeaks has put at risk not only the cause of human rights but also the lives and work of these individuals."
The WikiLeaks' website said "the cables show the extent of US spying on its allies and the UN; turning a blind eye to corruption and human-rights abuse in 'client states,' backroom deals with supposedly neutral countries; lobbying for US corporations; and the measures US diplomats take to advance those who have access to them." The complete files will be released in stages over the next few months, according to WikiLeaks.
Probe sought
Meanwhile, militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) has called on the Aquino administration to conduct an official probe on the WikiLeaks disclosure.
"It is no secret that the US embassy in Manila is actually a post for US intelligence gathering and US intervention in Philippine affairs. The WikiLeaks files may help us better understand how the US exerts its influence on our country in light of several domestic controversies over the past nine years," said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes in a statement.
"The Philippine government should at the very least be alarmed if it is shown that the US government is actively spying on us, undermining our sovereignty and interfering in our internal affairs," he said.
"Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's dealings with the US government should also be looked into," he added.
Bayan said the release of the files comes at a crucial moment for Philippines-US relations when the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) is being reviewed by Malacañang.
The cache includes the controversial orders of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and files that deal with US counterterrorism efforts, human rights, the economy and external political affairs.
"Maybe through these files, we can better understand the US positions on the VFA and the US troops in Mindanao," Reyes said.
"We would also like to know why the US has solidly supported the Arroyo government despite massive calls for her ouster. It would also be interesting to know what really went on during the visits of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, US Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panneta and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, all of whom visited during 2009," Reyes said. with Rhodina Villanueva
HILARY CLINTON ATTACKS RELEASE OF US EMBASSY CABLES
By Ewen MacAskill in Washington guardian.co.uk, Monday 29 November 2010 20.23 GMT
Secretary of state leads Obama administration's reaction to WikiLeaks release, saying it attacks fabric of responsible government.
The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton (photo at right), criticises WikiLeaks' publication of private diplomatic communications Link to this video The US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, today gave the administration's first public reaction to the leaking of thousands of confidential diplomatic documents, describing it as an attack not only on the US but the international community.
In a lengthy statement expressing US regret over the leaks that have thrown the diplomatic world into disarray and created widespread embarrassment for Washington, Clinton said they put at risk the lives of many people in oppressive societies who had spoken to American diplomats.
Barack Obama also criticised the leak. His White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said it was a criminal act and the president "is, and it is an understatement, not pleased with this information becoming public".
The US condemnation was mainly echoed by foreign ministries round the world, at least in public, with some shrugging aside the release.
The White House, Clinton and the Pentagon announced that a review was under way to tighten up security to prevent a future breach. The number of people with access to classified information is expected to be reduced.
Clinton told reporters at the US state department: "It is an attack on the international community, the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations, that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity."
The US had been working hard to deal with the global recession and the threat posed by terrorists, Clinton said; the leaks undermined this work.
"There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging peaceful relations between nations on which our common security depends," she said.
While she said she would not comment directly on the cables or their substance, she said that the government would take "aggressive steps" to hold responsible those who "stole" them.
"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," she told reporters.
She was speaking before leaving on a trip to central Asia, a journey made more difficult than usual by the revelations so far and the potential for more to come.
Although she started the press conference with a smile, Clinton looked tired after days talking to counterparts around the world, warning them of what might be coming and trying to soothe hurt feelings.
She predicted: "I am confident that the partnerships that the Obama administration has worked so hard to build will withstand these challenges."
Clinton said ambassadors needed to be candid but "our official foreign policy is not set through these messages, but here in Washington". And she initially refused to talk about individual cables, but, in response to a question about Iran, she said they showed that Tehran's neighbours were concerned about the threat posed by the prospect of Iran becoming a nuclear state.
Gibbs, at a White House briefing, called the leaks a crime.
George Bush said the disclosures would make it hard for the US to keep the trust of foreign leaders.
In an interview with Facebook he said: "When you've a conversation with a foreign leader and it ends up in a newspaper, they don't like it; and I didn't like it. A lot of these relationships depend on trust."
However Sarah Palin seemed to blame the White House for the leaks, writing on her Facebook page: "Why was he [WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange] not pursued with the same urgency we pursue al-Qaida and Taliban leaders?"
The comments from Clinton and the White House came on a day in which world leaders digested the disclosures. In Afghanistan, whose president, Hamid Karzai, was described in the cables as "extremely weak", spokesman Waheed Omer said that it would not affect the relationship with the US.
"There is not much in the documents to surprise us and we don't see anything substantive that will strain our relationship, but there is more still to come," he said.
Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, on a visit to India, hoped comments about the prime minister, Vladimir Putin – he was described as an "alpha dog" and Batman to President Dmitry Medvedev's Robin – would not damage relations.
"It's entertaining reading, of course," Lavrov said, according to the Itar-Tass agency. "But in practice we prefer to be guided by the concrete matters of partners. We will continue to adhere to precisely that approach in the future."
The Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi, at first laughed off the revelations about his personal life, but later sounded irritable, saying he had no interest in the opinions of "third or fourth rank" diplomats.
A French foreign ministry spokesman called WikiLeaks "irresponsible" and said it could harm international relations.
Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman, Abdul Basit, said: "We consider the extremely negative reports carried on Pakistan-Saudi relations attributed to WikiLeaks as misleading and contrary to facts."
Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, called the release of the diplomatic cables "damaging" and "the timing terrible". The cables had information about alleged Iranian pressure and manipulation during Iraq's election in March.
The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said Israel had not been harmed by any of the disclosures. Tibetans living in India, meanwhile, criticised the Chinese government as being unethical. According to one of the US embassy cables, the Chinese government hacked into the computers of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
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