se times
03/12/2010
Condemning the internet publication of confidential US State Department documents, officials from four Balkan nations insist there is no damage to ties with the US.
(Various sources -- 28/11/10 - 03/12/10)
Condemning the internet publication of confidential US State Department documents, officials from four Balkan nations insist there is no damage to ties with the US.
(Various sources -- 28/11/10 - 03/12/10)
Officials in several Balkan countries have condemned the release of thousands of leaked confidential US State Department documents and internal correspondence by the WikiLeaks website since Sunday (November 28th).
While warning that such illegal moves could blight international relations, several politicians from the region said they were confident the disclosures would not tarnish their countries' relationship with the United States.
"Absolutely nothing has changed in the communication, as diplomacy has always been a part of our lives," Serbian President Boris Tadic told reporters on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
"Everything is possible in politics, just like in the lives of ordinary people, and things should not be over-dramatised but rather solved," he added. "I do not expect any major turbulence in the relations between politicians, and it remains to be seen if there will be any changes in the relations between countries."
Bulgaria's foreign ministry slammed the publication of confidential diplomatic information but said there was no damage to Sofia-Washington ties.
"This act is illegal, harmful and serves only the interests of those who work against the partnership between Europe and (the United States of) America," the ministry's spokeswoman Vessela Tcherneva said in a statement on November 29th. "Bulgarian-US relations are strategic, based on common values and coinciding interests and cannot be threatened by such actions."
The statement echoed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks just hours after the first batch of confidential documents appeared on WikiLeaks and a number of international media websites.
"Let's be clear: This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," The Washington Post quoted her as saying Monday. "It is an attack on the international community -- the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity."
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Monday that he would only respond to official public documents and would not comment on any illegally leaked materials.
"I will just comment on issues which are related to transparent documents," he said at a meeting with supporters of his Democratic Party of Kosovo.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said he believes the revealed documents pose no threat to his country. But the publishing of reports drawn up by US diplomats is very dangerous for international relations and could put peoples' lives in peril, he said.
"It is a breaking of the laws and rules all over the world; there are laws and rules for the administration and use of the official documents," Berisha said. "It is also a serious attack against the modern system of communication, the cable system, which brings a serious uncertainty because all information in today's world is based on this system."
Not all reactions across the region were as sanguine. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has threatened to initiate legal action, saying diplomats should be held accountable for what he described as "lies and gossip" contained in the leaked cables.
"We have talked about these with the US government. They have already made an apology, but we do not find this sufficient. They have to take every step necessary with those diplomats," Erdogan said.
Ilir Gjoni, a member of Albania's main opposition Socialist Party and of parliament's security commission, agreed there would be no impact on relations. But the WikiLeaks phenomenon should be viewed as an alarm bell for authorities to take immediate steps to beef up the security of national information systems, he said.
While warning that such illegal moves could blight international relations, several politicians from the region said they were confident the disclosures would not tarnish their countries' relationship with the United States.
"Absolutely nothing has changed in the communication, as diplomacy has always been a part of our lives," Serbian President Boris Tadic told reporters on the sidelines of the OSCE summit in Kazakhstan on Thursday.
"Everything is possible in politics, just like in the lives of ordinary people, and things should not be over-dramatised but rather solved," he added. "I do not expect any major turbulence in the relations between politicians, and it remains to be seen if there will be any changes in the relations between countries."
Bulgaria's foreign ministry slammed the publication of confidential diplomatic information but said there was no damage to Sofia-Washington ties.
"This act is illegal, harmful and serves only the interests of those who work against the partnership between Europe and (the United States of) America," the ministry's spokeswoman Vessela Tcherneva said in a statement on November 29th. "Bulgarian-US relations are strategic, based on common values and coinciding interests and cannot be threatened by such actions."
The statement echoed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks just hours after the first batch of confidential documents appeared on WikiLeaks and a number of international media websites.
"Let's be clear: This disclosure is not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests," The Washington Post quoted her as saying Monday. "It is an attack on the international community -- the alliances and partnerships, the conversations and negotiations that safeguard global security and advance economic prosperity."
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said on Monday that he would only respond to official public documents and would not comment on any illegally leaked materials.
"I will just comment on issues which are related to transparent documents," he said at a meeting with supporters of his Democratic Party of Kosovo.
Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said he believes the revealed documents pose no threat to his country. But the publishing of reports drawn up by US diplomats is very dangerous for international relations and could put peoples' lives in peril, he said.
"It is a breaking of the laws and rules all over the world; there are laws and rules for the administration and use of the official documents," Berisha said. "It is also a serious attack against the modern system of communication, the cable system, which brings a serious uncertainty because all information in today's world is based on this system."
Not all reactions across the region were as sanguine. Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has threatened to initiate legal action, saying diplomats should be held accountable for what he described as "lies and gossip" contained in the leaked cables.
"We have talked about these with the US government. They have already made an apology, but we do not find this sufficient. They have to take every step necessary with those diplomats," Erdogan said.
Ilir Gjoni, a member of Albania's main opposition Socialist Party and of parliament's security commission, agreed there would be no impact on relations. But the WikiLeaks phenomenon should be viewed as an alarm bell for authorities to take immediate steps to beef up the security of national information systems, he said.
"This is one of the main duties for our service, for our information service, which should pay special attention to that," Gjoni said.
Career diplomat Stefan Tafrov, who served as Bulgaria's ambassador to the UN from 2001 to 2006, urged officials to draw the needed lessons.
The publication of confidential US documents is harmful not only for Americans, but for world diplomacy as well, Tafrov said, warning that such disclosures can "prevent diplomats from doing their work safely and effectively".
Linda Karadaku and Muhamet Brajshori contributed to this report.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
Career diplomat Stefan Tafrov, who served as Bulgaria's ambassador to the UN from 2001 to 2006, urged officials to draw the needed lessons.
The publication of confidential US documents is harmful not only for Americans, but for world diplomacy as well, Tafrov said, warning that such disclosures can "prevent diplomats from doing their work safely and effectively".
Linda Karadaku and Muhamet Brajshori contributed to this report.
This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.
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