WIKILEAKS RELEASE OF US CABLES MFA expresses 'concern'
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Nov 30, 2010 - Straits Times
by Hannah Koh
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has expressed 'deep concerns' about the flood of United States (US) cables released on Sunday by whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks.
In a statement to the press, the MFA said that it was critical to protect the confidentiality of diplomatic and official correspondence, and slammed WikiLeaks' actions as 'damaging'.
'In particular, the selective release of documents, especially when taken out of context, will only serve to sow confusion and fail to provide a complete picture of the important issues that were being discussed amongst leaders in the strictest of confidentiality,' said the MFA.
According to AFP, a cable from Singapore revealed that Minister Mentor (MM) Lee Kuan Yew called North Koreans 'psychopathic types, with a 'flabby old chap' for a leader who prances around stadiums seeking adulation', in reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
The quote was taken from a classified document detailing a conversation between MM Lee and US deputy secretary of state James B. Steinberg in May last year.
Sunday's release of US cables, records of conversations and diplomatic memos between world leaders by WikiLeaks has led to condemnation by governments around the world.
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itchy mouth.
