S. Korea, U.S. stage ‘high-intensity’ naval drills in Yellow Sea

Nov. 29, SEOUL, South Korea -- David Lausman, commanding officer of U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington, watches an oil supply operation during a South Korea-U.S. joint naval drill in the Yellow Sea. The massive military exercise is designed to show the two countries' firm alliance against any North Korean military provocation. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy) (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Nov. 29 (KATAKAMI / Yonhap News ) -- A flotilla of South Korean and U.S. warships fired artillery and their aircraft intercepted mock enemy planes in the Yellow Sea on Monday, the second day of what military officials labelled "high-intensity" joint naval drills aimed at deterring North Korean provocations.

The potent show of naval strength, staged against North Korea by about 10 warships and 7,300 troops and led by a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, came days after the North shelled a South Korean island near the tense Yellow Sea border, killing two marines and as many civilians.

Condemning the North's attack on Yeonpyeong Island as an "inhumane crime," President Lee Myung-bak warned that any future North Korean provocations will not be tolerated again and expressed fury over the North's "incessant menace and belligerence."

"If the North commits any additional provocations against the South, we will make sure that it pays a dear price without fail," a stern-faced President Lee said in a nationally televised address. After the speech, Lee visited the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in central Seoul for an update on the drills.

Shortly after Lee ended his seven-minute speech, North Korea renewed its threats against the joint naval drills, referring to them as "yet another grave military provocation" that would lead to an "all-out war."

"It would be a miscalculation if the U.S. and South Korean warlike forces attempt to astound and pressure" by deploying the USS George Washington, the North's ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary carried by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency. The North will mount a "merciless" counterattack "if they provoke us again," it said.

After being criticized for being too feeble in response to the North's artillery strike, South Korea's armed forces began to beef up military strength on the five islands near the Yellow Sea border, including Yeonpyeong. Earlier in the day, the military doubled its K-9 howitzers and deployed multiple rocket launch systems on the shell-shocked island that has been designated as a "control zone," allowing the military to easily evacuate the remaining residents and journalists on the island.

Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have spiked since the North attacked Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23, marking the first attack that targeted civilians on land since the 1950-53 Korean War. At least 18 people, mostly marines, were injured in the attack that set scores of homes and military facilities ablaze.

In a bid to drum up international support to condemn North Korea, the South's defense ministry held a briefing on Monday for all foreign military attaches in Seoul to explain the North's artillery attack.

"The drills have been under way in high-intensity mode for 24 hours a day, including nighttime training," said an official at the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Monday's drills, which are taking place far south of the tense maritime border with the North, include anti-submarine, live-fire drills, aerial bombing and maritime defensive and offensive warfare drills, the JCS official said.

"Being that these operations are in the international waters west of the Korean Peninsula certainly demonstrates the resolve that we have to mutual deterrence of the Republic of Korea," U.S. Rear Adm. Dan Cloyd, commander of the George Washington carrier strike group, told reporters aboard on the aircraft carrier, according to a pool report.

"But it is also to improve the substantiality, interoperability and readiness of both of the Republic of Korea and U.S. forces and our collective commitment of security and stability here in the Asia-Pacific region," Cloyd said.

South Korean Rear Adm. Lee Bum-lim said, "The purpose of these drills is aimed at sending a strong message of warning that we will not sit idle over any types of military provocations from North Korea."

Crew members work on the deck of the USS George Washington during naval drills with South Korea on Nov. 29. (Yonhap)

Aircraft from the U.S. supercarrier the USS George Washington conducted a live-ammunition exercise to shoot mock targets in waters, while Aegis destroyers from the allies honed their capabilities to detect and destroy "hundreds of targets" over the sky, according to JCS officials.

"Destroyers also trained in a scenario in which they were to detect enemy aircraft and fire guided missiles to intercept them," said the JCS official.

Concerned by signs that North Korea may stage another provocation during the drills, South Korea's military has said it is closely monitoring the movements of the North's armed forces.

Following the attack on Yeonpyeong, North Korea deployed SA-2 surface-to-air missiles near the Yellow Sea border. The North also placed other missiles on launch pads, including Samlet and Silkworm missiles, according to a military source.

One day after the North's attack, South Korea and the U.S. announced the drills, which were planned as a warning after North Korea torpedoed a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, in March. Forty-six sailors were killed by the torpedo attack near the Yellow Sea border.

North Korea justified its artillery strike on Yeonpyeong as a "self-defensive measure" against a South Korean military exercise near the island, the usual logic its regime has used as an excuse for past shellings into the waters across the maritime border.

In the joint naval drills, the 97,000-ton USS George Washington, which carries more than 6,000 sailors and 75 fighter jets, is supported by a number of U.S. warships, including the 9,600-ton USS Cowpens, the USS Lassen, the USS Stethem and the USS Fitzgerald.

South Korea has deployed a 7,600-ton guided-missile Aegis destroyer, the Sejong the Great, along with two 4,500-ton destroyers, frigates and anti-submarine aircraft, according to JCS officials.

Also taking part in the drills are eight F-16C Fighting Falcons, four A-10C Thunderbolt II, four F-15Ks and four KF-16s. (*)

Full text of President Lee Myung-bak's address to the nation

Nov. 29, SEOUL, South Korea -- President Lee Myung-bak encourages field commanders after being briefed by Gen. Walter Sharp (L), commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, on an ongoing Korea-U.S. joint drill in the Yellow Sea during his visit to the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in Euijeongbu, north of Seoul, on Nov. 29. (Photo courtesy of presidential office) (Yonhap)

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November 29, 2010. (KATAKAMI /YONHAP NEWS) The following is the full text of President Lee Myung-bak's address to the nation on Monday (Nov 29, 2010) :

Fellow Koreans,
Today, I am standing here keenly aware that I am responsible for not having been able to protect the lives and property of the people. I understand very well that you were greatly disappointed with how we responded to the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo (Yeonpyeong Island) by North Korea.

I feel enormous frustration and regret over the fact that innocent lives were lost and the homes and livelihood of the islanders were devastated.

I pray for the repose of the souls of Staff Sergeant Seo Jung-woo and Lance Corporal Moon Kwang-wook as well as the two civilian casualties-Mr. Kim Chi-baek and Mr. Bae Bok-chul. I also once again extend my heartfelt condolences to their families. I hope that those who were injured will recover quickly. I promise to urgently come up with the comprehensive measures to help the islanders of Yeonpyeongdo.

Fellow citizens,
North Korea's provocation this time was entirely different and unprecedented in nature. Since the end of the Korean War, the North has perpetrated numerous provocations, but it has never launched a direct attack onto our territory before. Making matters worse, it indiscriminately shelled the island where some 1,400 residents are peacefully living.

A military attack against civilians is strictly prohibited even in time of war; it is a crime against humanity.

\ Only a few meters away from where shells landed, there is a school where classes were going on. I am outraged by the ruthlessness of the North Korean regime, which is even indifferent to the lives of little children.
Countries around the world are joining us in denouncing North Korea.

We have thus far tolerated provocations by the North time and again. On January 21, 1968, North Korean commandos infiltrated into Seoul with the intent of killing the President. A bomb explosion in Rangoon, Burma, set off by North Korean agents, killed many high-ranking South Korean Government officials who were accompanying the President. The North has already tried and failed twice to kill the South Korean head of state. North Korean agents blew up a civilian airplane in 1987, taking the lives of 115 passengers.

South Korea nonetheless endured these continual provocations because we entertained a slight hope that the North would change course someday and an unwavering commitment to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Over the past 20 years, therefore, South Korea has striven to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and collaboration while at the same time providing unstinted humanitarian assistance.

North Korea, on the other hand, responded with a series of provocative acts, including the development of a nuclear program, the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan by an explosion and the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo.

At long last, we came to a realization that it no longer makes sense for us to anticipate that the North would abandon its nuclear program or its policy of brinkmanship on its own. The South Korean people now unequivocally understand that prolonged endurance and tolerance will spawn nothing but more serious provocations.

Those who have so far supported the North Korean regime might now see its true colors.

We are aware of the historic lesson that a disgraceful peace achieved through intimidation only brings about greater harm in the end. Only courage that defies retreat under any threat or provocation will bring about genuine peace. If the North commits any additional provocations against the South, we will make sure that it pays a dear price without fail.

I have confidence in the courage and potential of the citizens of Korea. We are a great people who, as of this year, have built the world's seventh largest export powerhouse in the face of the North's incessant menace and belligerence. In the current national crisis situation, the Korean people have demonstrated patriotism and composure.

Many young men and women went to the wake of the young soldiers who were killed in action. Citizens have volunteered to collect donations and have gone about their business with fortitude. The Republic of Korea is going to be safe and sound because of you.

There was a split in public opinion over the torpedoing of the Cheonan. Unlike that time, our people have united as one this time. Amid such unity and determination, any surreptitious attempt to create divisiveness in the nation will have no chance of success. Along with all the citizens of the Republic, I will never retreat.

The international community, too, is supporting us. Leaders of the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom as well as Russia and many other countries condemned the act of brutality by the North and are standing in full support of our position. Especially, as our ally, the United States has demonstrated a strong resolve to respond by taking action.

Fellow Koreans,
The courageous members of our Armed Forces have fought well. Some soldiers dashed to fulfill their duties without even noticing that the camouflage on their helmets had caught fire in the barrage of live shells. Those who were on leave of absence promptly returned to their units.

Citizens of Korea,
From now on, the Government will do whatever is required of it without fail.

The Government will establish Armed Forces that live up to their name. We will defend the five West Sea Islands near the northern sea border with a watertight stance against any kind of provocation. We will proactively carry out the defense reform as planned in order to make our Armed Forces even stronger.

Fellow Koreans,
Now is the time we have to demonstrate our determination with actions rather than many words.

I plead with you to have confidence in the Government and the Armed Forces and rally around our cause.

Unity is the best national security measure.

Thank you very much.

(END)

Clinton calls leaked documents attack on world

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton pauses during a bilateral meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010, at the State Department in Washington. Bristling over the unauthorized release of more than a quarter million classified State Department documents, the Obama White House on Monday ordered a government-wide review of how agencies safeguard sensitive information (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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November 29, 2010 WASHINGTON (KATAKAMI / AP) – Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the leak of hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic documents is an attack not only on the United States but also the international community.

In her first public comments since the weekend release of the classified State Department cables, Clinton said Monday that online whistleblower Wikileaks acted illegally in posting the material. She said the Obama administration was "aggressively pursuing" those responsible for the leak.

She said the leaks erode trust between nations. But Clinton also said she was "confident" that U.S. partnerships would withstand the challenges posed by the latest revelations. (*)

PM Netanyahu: Let Arabs say the truth out loud

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an annual meeting with journalists in Tel Aviv November 29, 2010, marking the U.N. vote on November 29, 1947 to partition Palestine which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. Netanyahu said on Monday leaked U.S. diplomatic cables had exposed widespread Arab fear of Iran's nuclear programme and vindicated his priorities in peacemaking. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Nir Elias )

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In meeting with journalists prime minister estimates WikiLeaks leak did not damage Israel, expresses hope that Arab leaders would tell their people what they say behind closed doors about desire for attack on Iran.

November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / YNET) --- "This is an historic day for the relationship between journalism and diplomacy," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday following the uncovering of hundreds of thousands of documents by the WikiLeaks website. In a meeting in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu told journalists "your job will become much harder to do, as will ours."

The documents revealed, among other things, that many Arab leaders called on the United States to attack Iran. "If the exposure causes the region's leaders to refrain from saying what they think in private talks, then we have a problem," Netanyahu said.


"But if the leaders make the statements publically there will be a significant change. When leaders are willing to tell their people the truth it promotes peace." The prime minister added that "peace based on truth has a lasting chance."


According to Netanyahu, the leak will cause documents to be exposed to less people. "Cables leak. We in Israel have already learned this and have adapted ourselves to this reality."


He noted that this new reality caused the government to narrow down meetings to two or four people. "Each person you add raises the chance for a leak," he noted.


"The greatest threat to peace is the Iranian regime's arming race, and what is most important is that
many leaders and governments in the Middle East realize this threat. There is a gap between what is said publically and was is said behind closed doors," the prime minister stated.

"Leaders realize there is a new threat and a new understanding. I don't remember there was such understanding in the Middle East (in the past). I hope leaders will have the courage to tell their people what they said about Iran publically."


Netanyahu also addressed the peace process and blamed the Palestinians of the current stalemate. He noted that the process does not depend solely on Israel. "The Palestinians are the ones who did not take steps." (*)

PM Netanyahu: WikiLeaks cables prove Israel is right on Iran

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during an annual meeting with journalists in Tel Aviv November 29, 2010, marking the U.N. vote on November 29, 1947 to partition Palestine which paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel on May 15, 1948. Netanyahu said on Monday leaked U.S. diplomatic cables had exposed widespread Arab fear of Iran's nuclear programme and vindicated his priorities in peacemaking. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Nir Elias )

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Leaks show how the entire Middle East fears a nuclear Iran, prime minister says.

November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / HAARETZ) --- A raft of controversial diplomatic secrets published by the WikiLeaks group has not damaged Israel and in fact strengthened its position, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday.

A collection of over 250,000 classified U.S. dispatches released by WikiLeaks caused global diplomatic turmoil and discomfort for the United States, which had warned allies ahead of publication to prepare from embarrassment.Revelations that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton questioned the mental health of Argentina's president and that America asked its diplomats to snoop on the United Nations may prove awkward for Washington.

But for Israel, the outcome is positive, Netanyahu said.

"Israel has not been damaged at all by the WikiLeaks publications," the prime minster told a group of editors in Tel Aviv. "The documents show many sources backing Israel's assessments, particularly of Iran."

One result of the Wikileaks cables was to expose Arab fears of growing Iranian power, and it emerged that Saudi Arabia had asked the U.S. to launch a military strike to prevent the Iranians from gaining a nuclear bomb.

Israel has for years warned of the danger from the Iranian nuclear program – which Iran claims is for peaceful purposes – to the entire region. These warnings had been vindicated, Netanyahu said.

"Our region has been hostage to a narrative that is the result of 60 years of propaganda, which paints Israel as the greatest threat," Netanyahu said.

"In reality leaders understand that that view is bankrupt. For the first time in history there is agreement that Iran is the threat," he said.

"If leaders start saying openly what they have long been saying behind closed doors, we can make a real breakthrough on the road to peace."

A 2009 American government cable released Sunday by WikiLeaks quotes Defense Minister Ehud Barak as telling visiting American officials that a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities was viable until the end of 2010, but after that "any military solution would result in unacceptable collateral damage".

Leaked documents also show America in agreement with Israel's assessment of Turkish premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an unreliable "fundamentalist" whose policies are governed by an irrational hatred of Israel.

Netanyahu added that Israel had been prepared for the eventuality of leaks and had worked in advance to limit any damage.

"Every Israeli leader has known for years that that dispatches are likely to leak out, so we adapted ourselves to the reality of leaks, he said. "That has a bearing on who I invite to meetings. No classified Israeli material was exposed by WikiLeaks."

But the latest exposes would still influence Israeli policy, Netanyahu said.

"The result of the release of the documents will be that in the future we will see fewer revelations and less exposure, particularly on complex issues," he said.  (*)

Iran’s Ahmadinejad dismisses Wikileaks cables release

Mr Ahmadinejad shrugged off the leaked reports of regional animosity

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November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / BBC) — Iran’s president has dismissed as propaganda the leaking of US cables detailing Arab calls for Washington to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the release by the Wikileaks website of thousands of extracts from US diplomatic messages was simply psychological warfare against Iran.

He said the release would not affect Iran’s relations with other countries.

The US said the release was “reckless” and put the lives of diplomats at risk.

The Obama administration has been scrambling to make sure similar leaks do not happen again.

Government agencies have been ordered to tighten their procedures for handling classified information, ensuring that employees only have access to such documents as they need to do their jobs.

The Pentagon said it was making its computer systems more secure to prevent future leaks.

And Attorney General Eric Holder said there was an “active and ongoing criminal investigation” into the release of the documents and anyone found responsible would be prosecuted.


Wikileaks

* Website with a reputation for publishing sensitive material

* Run by Julian Assange, an Australian with a background in computer network hacking


* Released 90,000 secret US records of US military incidents about the war in Afghanistan and 400,000 similar documents on Iraq

* Also posted video showing US helicopter killing 12 people – including two journalists – in Baghdad in 2007

* Other controversial postings include screenshots of the e-mail inbox and address book of US vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin


The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, said the US authorities were afraid of being held to account.
European nations have roundly criticised the leaks, with France saying they represent a threat to democratic authority.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, condemned what it called “the irresponsible disclosure of sensitive official documents”.

Among the revelations is a report that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia had urged the US to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Political goals

Mr Ahmadinejad shrugged off the leaks at a televised news conference on Monday, saying no-one should waste time reviewing the information.

“We don’t think this information was leaked,” he said. “We think it was organised to be released on a regular basis and they are pursuing political goals.”

On one level, the release of the Wikileaks documents may be highly damaging for Iran, says the BBC’s Iran correspondent, James Reynolds.

For the first time – in black and white – we have proof that Arab countries have actively encouraged the United States to attack Iran, adds our correspondent, and from what we can tell, the documents paint a picture of Iran as isolated and under threat.

If this worries the Iranian government, it will not say so in public. Instead, adds our correspondent, Mr Ahmadinejad’s response appears to conform to his overall world view – that every action of the United States is highly organised and aimed at promoting discord among Muslim nations.

Wikileaks has only posted some 200 of the 251,287 messages it says it has obtained. However, the entire bundle of cables has been made available to five publications, including the New York Times and the UK’s Guardian newspaper.

The leaked cables written by US diplomats posted overseas contain blunt appraisals of their host governments, and unflattering pen portraits of world leaders.

US officials are said to have described Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi as feckless, vain and ineffective, sharing a close relationship with the “alpha dog” Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is said to be thin-skinned and authoritarian, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel is described as risk-averse.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is referred to as “extremely weak” and susceptible to conspiracy theories.
One US diplomat was said to be shocked at the “rude behaviour” of the British queen’s second son, Prince Andrew, when abroad.

Meanwhile, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi of Libya always travels with a “voluptuous blonde” Ukrainian nurse, according to one of the cables.

Concerns aired include the security of Pakistani nuclear material that could fall into the wrong hands, allowing militants to make an atomic weapon. The widespread use of computer hacking by China’s government is also reported.

Other issues reportedly covered in the cables are:

Iranian attempts to adapt North Korean rockets for use as long-range missiles
Corruption in Afghanistan with concerns heightened when a senior official was found to be carrying more than $52m (£33m) in cash on a foreign trip

Bargaining to empty the Guantanamo Bay prison camp – including Slovenian diplomats being told to take in a freed prisoner to secure a meeting with President Barack Obama

Germany being warned in 2007 not to enforce arrest warrants for CIA officers involved in an operation in which an innocent German citizen with the same name as a suspected militant was abducted and held in Afghanistan

US officials being instructed to spy on the UN leadership by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
Alleged links between the Russian government and organised crime, with intelligence agencies using underworld bosses to carry out operations

Yemen’s president talking to General David Petraeus (while he was responsible for US military operations in Central Asia and the Middle East as head of US Central Command) about attacks on Yemeni al-Qaeda bases and saying: “We’ll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours”

Faltering US attempts to prevent Syria from supplying arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon

Shedding light on wars?

The leaked embassy cables are both contemporary and historical, and include a 1989 note from a US diplomat in Panama City musing about the options open to Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega and referring to him as “a master of survival” – the author apparently had no idea that US forces would invade a week later and arrest Noriega.


In a statement, the White House said: “Such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government.

“President Obama supports responsible, accountable, and open government at home and around the world, but this reckless and dangerous action runs counter to that goal.”

Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger defended his newspaper’s publication of leaked information, saying it was “not the job of the media to worry about the embarrassment of world leaders who have been caught saying different things in public or private, especially some of these Gulf states that don’t have a free press”.

No-one has been charged with passing the diplomatic files to Wikileaks, but suspicion has fallen on US Army private Bradley Manning, an intelligence analyst arrested in Iraq in June and charged over an earlier leak of classified US documents to Mr Assange’s organisation.

The cables release was the third mass Wikileaks release of classified documents since it published 77,000 secret US files on the Afghan conflict in July, and 400,000 documents about the Iraq war in October.

Wikileaks argues the release of the documents has shed light on the wars, including allegations of torture and reports that suggest 15,000 additional civilian deaths in Iraq. (*)

Saudi King urged U.S. to attack Iran: WikiLeaks

President Barack Obama (left) & King Abdullah

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November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / Reuters) - Saudi King Abdullah has repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran's nuclear program and China directed cyberattacks on the United States, according to a vast cache of diplomatic cables released on Sunday in an embarrassing leak that undermines U.S. diplomacy.

The more than 250,000 documents, given to five media groups by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, provide candid and at times critical views of foreign leaders as well as sensitive information on terrorism and nuclear proliferation filed by U.S. diplomats, according to The New York Times.

The White House condemned the release by WikiLeaks and said the disclosures may endanger U.S.

informants abroad. WikiLeaks said its website was under attack and none of the underlying cables was visible there Sunday night, though some were posted by news organizations.

Among the revelations in Britain's Guardian newspaper, which also received an advance look at the documents along with France's Le Monde, Germany's Der Spiegel and Spain's El Pais, King Abdullah is reported to have "frequently exhorted the U.S. to attack Iran to put an end to its nuclear weapons program."

"Cut off the head of the snake," the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, quotes the king as saying during a meeting with General David Petraeus in April 2008.

The leaked documents, the majority of which are from 2007 or later, also disclose U.S. allegations that China's Politburo directed an intrusion into Google's computer systems, part of a broader coordinated campaign of computer sabotage carried out by Chinese government operatives, private security experts and Internet outlaws, the Times reported.

MEDVEDEV "PLAYS ROBIN TO PUTIN'S BATMAN"

As described by German news weekly Der Spiegel, the cables contain tart comments such as a U.S. diplomat's description of German Chancellor Angela Merkel as someone who "avoids risk and is seldom creative."

Another document described by The New York Times cites a U.S. embassy cable raising the possibility that Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi may have had a romantic relationship with his Ukranian nurse, who is described as a "voluptuous blonde."

The newspaper said many of the cables name diplomats' confidential sources, from foreign lawmakers and military officers to human rights activists and journalists, often with a warning: "Please protect" or "Strictly protect."

Comments such a description of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's head of state, as playing "Robin to (Prime Minister Vladimir) Putin's Batman," are sure to embarrass the Obama administration and to complicate its diplomacy.

The White House said the release of the documents could endanger the lives of people who live under "oppressive regimes" and "deeply impact" the foreign policy interests of the United States, its allies and partners around the world.

"To be clear -- such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs 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," he said.

"DEVASTATING"

Security analysts tended to agree that the release of the documents was a severe blow to U.S. diplomacy, undermining the confidentiality that is vital for foreign leaders and activists to talk candidly to U.S. officials.

"This is pretty devastating," Roger Cressey, a partner at Goodharbor Consulting and a former U.S. cyber security and counter-terrorism official, said in an e-mailed comment.

The U.S. government, which was informed in advance of the leaked cables' contents, contacted governments including Russia, and in Europe and the Middle East, to try to limit damage.

The White House also warned readers that the field reporting in the documents is often incomplete and does not necessarily reflect, or even shape, U.S. policy decisions.

Emile Hokayem, a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the dramatic revelation that Saudi King Abdullah counseled a U.S. strike on Iran may have been exaggerated for diplomatic effect.

"It's very possible that the Gulf states have in private adopted very aggressive rhetoric just to stress the urgency of the issue," Hokayem said. "But I personally doubt that there is an appetite for war as such."
Among the disclosures reported by The New York Times were:

-- suspicions Iran has obtained sophisticated missiles from North Korea capable of hitting western Europe, and the United States is concerned Iran is using those rockets as "building blocks" to build longer-range missiles;

-- allegations that Chinese operatives have broken into American government computers and those of Western allies, the Dalai Lama and American businesses since 2002;

-- talks between U.S. and South Korean officials about the prospects for a unified Korea should the North's economic troubles and a political transition lead the state to implode;

-- the South Koreans considered commercial inducements to China to "help salve" Chinese concerns about living with a reunified Korea that is in a "benign alliance" with Washington, according to the American ambassador to Seoul;

-- reporting that Saudi donors remain chief financiers of Sunni militant groups like al Qaeda, and the tiny Persian Gulf state of Qatar, a generous host to the American military for years, was the "worst in the region" in counterterrorism efforts, according to a State Department cable last December;

-- Since 2007, the United States has mounted a secret and so far unsuccessful effort to remove highly enriched uranium from a Pakistani research reactor out of fear it could be diverted for use in an illicit nuclear device.  (*)

Medvedev to visit Poland December 6-7 - Kremlin

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

November 29, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI)  --- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will pay an official visit to Poland on December 6-7, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Medvedev will come to Poland at the invitation of his Polish counterpart Bronislaw Komorowski.

Komorowski over the weekend expressed hopes that Medvedev's visit would contribute to a rapprochement in Russian-Polish relations.

The Polish president also hopes to discuss the 1940 Katyn massacre with Medvedev.

According to official data, over 20,000 Polish officers were killed in 1940 by the NKVD - the Soviet secret police. The executions took place in various parts of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The largest massacre occurred in the Katyn forest near the Russian city of Smolensk.

Deputies from the lower house of Russia's parliament on Friday approved a declaration recognizing the 1940 Katyn massacre of Polish officers as a crime committed by Stalin's regime.

Komorowski hailed the recognition of the massacre. "I believe this is a positive signal that came from Moscow before the upcoming visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to Warsaw. We must accept this document with great satisfaction keeping in mind that this is an official document by the [Russian] parliament," he said.  (*)




MOSCOW, November 29

President Lee Myung-bak calls N. Korea's attack 'inhumane,' calls for national unity

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak

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SEOUL, Nov. 29 (KATAKAMI / Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's recent shelling of a South Korean border island, saying an attack against civilians is an "inhumane" crime strictly prohibited even during a war.

"I can't contain my anger over the North Korean regime's cruelty that ignores even the lives of children," Lee said in a televised speech.
He pledged that Seoul will make Pyongyang pay a price corresponding to any future provocations.

Lee said the North's deadly artillery strike on Yeonpyeong Island, where about 1,400 people resided, shows that it would be hard to expect the communist nation to abandon its nuclear program and military brinkmanship.

Lee appealed to the South Korean people for unity, saying a "unified people" would take national security to its strongest level.  (*)

China calls for North Korea talks

The USS George Washington is taking part in joint US-South Korean military exercises over the next few day in the Yellow Sea. Photograph: Charles Oki/EPA

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Time not right for six-way meeting in Beijing, says Seoul, amid military muscle flexing by North and South Korea.


November 28, 2010 (KATAKAMI / GUARDIAN.CO.UK) --- China has called for emergency international talks over North Korea as Pyongyang reportedly prepared missile batteries and the US and South Korea launched joint military exercises.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula are as severe as they have been at any time since the end of the Korean war in 1953, and a senior official in Beijing today suggested emergency talks between the six countries that had taken part in talks on Pyongyang's disarmament.

Wu Dawei, the Chinese envoy to the peninsula, said representatives from Pyongyang and Seoul, China, the US, Russia and Japan, who have been meeting over the last seven years to discuss North Korea's nuclear ambitions, should convene in Beijing early next month "to exchange views on major issues of concern".

The talks themselves, moribund for two years after North Korea walked out, look unlikely to be resumed, with Seoul's presidential office saying it was not the right time for such a move. But such an urgent intervention from China, North Korea's only significant ally and the sole outside country with any sway over its actions, is significant, not least in underlining the gravity of the situation.

The Seoul-based Yonhap news agency reported that Pyongyang had placed surface-to-surface missiles on launch pads along its Yellow Sea coastline. The North's military is also aiming surface-to-air missiles at South Korean fighter jets flying near the western sea border, the agency added.

Two South Korean marines and two civilians died on Tuesday when the North unleashed, without warning, an artillery barrage on Yeonpyeong island, which hosts both a military garrison and a small fishing community. The attack, seen as the most serious single military incident since the end of the war, destroyed dozens of homes , injured another 18 people, and set the South on a war footing.

North Korea described the civilian deaths as "regrettable" but blamed the South for placing residents on the island, which Pyongyang insists is North Korean territory, as human shields. The North also condemned a major US-South Korea military drill in the Yellow Sea, which began today.

The four-day exercise, involving the USS George Washington aircraft carrier, is believed to be taking place about 100 miles south of Yeonpyeong. While Seoul insists the exercise is both routine and pre-planned, the North's National Peace Committee of Korea described it as "pretext for aggression and ignite a war at any cost".

Pyongyang issued a series of warnings, and threatened to "give a shower of dreadful fire and blow up the bulwark of the enemies if they dare to encroach again upon [North Korea's] dignity and sovereignty, even in the least."

Seoul is being almost equally bellicose. At a funeral yesterday for the marines killed on Yeonpyeong, the South Korean military commander, Major-General You Nak-jun, laid flowers at an altar and vowed that his country would retaliate if there was a further attack from the North.

"Our marine corps ... will carry out a hundred – or thousand-fold" in retaliation, he said at the ceremony. "We will put our feelings of rage and animosity in our bones and take our revenge on North Korea."

Dozens of journalists have ignored South Korean military warnings about staying on Yeonpyeong, which is seven miles from North Korean territory. They and locals sought cover today after hearing new bursts of artillery fire. No rounds landed on the island.

Dai Bingguo, a senior Chinese foreign policy adviser, visited South Korea's president, Lee Myung-bak. In unusually strong comments Lee made plain his concerns that Beijing was not exerting sufficient pressure on North Korea, calling on China to contribute to peace in a "more objective, responsible" manner.

The chairman of North Korea's supreme people's assembly, Choe Thae Bok, is due to visit Beijing from Tuesday, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

Since the Korean war ended, with a truce rather than a formal treaty, tensions between the two sides have risen and receded many times. However, the past year has seen particularly intense pressures, notably after a South Korean warship was sunk in March, killing 46 sailors. An international team of investigators concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the vessel, although Pyongyang denies any involvement.

 The latest crisis has already cost the South Korean defence minister, Kim Tae-young, his job amid accusations that the response to North Korea's initial attack had been too weak. Now South Korea's president has sent 4,000 troops as reinforcements to Yeonpyeong and other nearby islands with extra weapons and new rules of engagement that give them greater scope to respond if attacked.  (*)
 

Photostream : Cargo Plane Crashes in Pakistan

Pakistani officials examine the wreckage at the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. A cargo plane crashed in flames into a residential area in Pakistan's largest city soon after takeoff Sunday, killing all eight Russian crew and at least one person on the ground, officials said. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Pakistani officials examine the wreckage at the site of a plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010. A cargo plane crashed in flames into a residential area in Pakistan's largest city soon after takeoff Sunday, killing all eight Russian crew and at least one person on the ground, officials said. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

An overview of the wreckage of an airplane crash is seen early morning in Karachi November 28, 2010. A plane carrying eight people crashed early on Sunday in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, setting buildings on fire. Police chief Fayyaz Leghari said five people were killed. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Athar Hussain )

Rescue workers stand at the site of a plane crash in Karachi November 28, 2010. A plane carrying eight people crashed early on Sunday in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, setting buildings on fire. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Athar Hussain )

Pakistani firefighters extinguish fire caused by a Russian-made cargo plane that crashed in a fireball seconds after taking off from the Karachi's airport early November 28, 2010. The crash caused a massive blaze in the Dalmai neighbourhood, where the Pakistan Air Force and Navy have residential apartments and sensitive installations close to Jinnah International airport. The Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft had been bound for the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Civil Aviation Authority spokesman said. Police said there were injuries, but there was no immediate confirmation on casualty numbers or whether people had been hurt on the ground. (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Rescue workers stand over bodies, retrieved from the wreckage of an airplane crash, after they were brought to a hospital morgue in Karachi November 28, 2010. A plane carrying eight people crashed early on Sunday in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city, setting buildings on fire. Police chief Fayyaz Leghari said five people were killed. (Getty Images / REUTERS/Athar Hussain )

Death toll in Pakistan plane crash rises to 20 people - TV

Pakistan plane crash

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November 28, 2010 (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- The death toll in Sunday's plane crash in Pakistan has risen to 20 people, Pakistani TV channels reported.

Earlier reports said that a Russian-made Il-76 cargo plane had crashed early on Sunday in Karachi in Pakistan, killing all eight crewmembers. The plane burst in flames shortly after a takeoff from the Karachi International Airport heading for Khartoum, Sudan, and went down in an upscale housing complex for naval officers.

According to Pakistani TV channels, at least 12 people were killed on the ground, apart from the eight crewmembers. This information has not yet been officially confirmed.

Rescue workers said they had recovered the bodies of two construction workers who had been inside the building, on which the plane had crashed.

A spokesman for Russia's consulate general in Karachi said on Sunday that one of the crewmembers killed in the air crash was a Russian national while the other crewmembers were presumably Ukrainians.

The plane belonged to the air company Sunway. (*)

NEW DELHI, November 28

Photostream : Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri visits Iran

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (R) and Iran's first vice president, Mohammad Reza Rahimi (L) review the honour guard during the welcoming ceremony at Tehran's Saadabad Palace on November 27, 2010. (Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (R) smiles while reviewing the honour guard during a welcoming ceremony at Tehran's Saadabad Palace on November 27, 2010. (Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, walks during his official welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, left, listens to Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahim, during their meeting in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010. An unidentified interpreter sits at center. (Getty Images / AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (L) shakes hands with Iran's first vice president, Mohammad Reza Rahimi (R) during the welcoming ceremony at Tehran's Saadabad Palace on November 27, 2010. (Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Russia lends Venezuela $4 bln to buy weaponry — Chavez

 

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November 28, 2010. (KATAKAMI / RIA NOVOSTI) --- Moscow has recently loaned Venezuela $4 billion to buy Russian military hardware, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said.

Speaking at a ceremony to celebrate 90 years of Venezuela's Air Force on Saturday, Chavez said the sides reached the loan agreement during his visit to Russia in October although no official statement was made at the time of the visit.

"We were in Russia not long ago and the Russian government gave us a $4-billion credit to help us with [building up] our defense capability," the president said.

Moscow has already provided Caracas with several loans to buy Russian-made weaponry, including a recent $2.2-mln loan on the purchase of 92 T-72M1M tanks, the Smerch multiple-launch rocket systems and other military equipment.

Russia has also exported 24 Su-30MK2 Flanker aircraft, over 40 Mi-17 Hip transport helicopters and 10 Mi-35 Hind-E gunships as well as three Mi-26T Halo heavy transport helicopters to Venezuela.

Chavez did not specify the types of weaponry Venezuela was going to buy from Russia in the future.

He justified big spending on arms by his country's need to defend the nation from potential external threats.

"We are simply doing the task of defending the fatherland from the threat of [U.S.] empire and its allies," Chavez said.  (*)



MEXICO, November 28

Saudi king healthy and walking, says top prince

A handout picture released the Saudi Press Agency shows Saudi King Abdullah (C) sitting in a wheelchair as he arrives at his palace in Riyadh on November 19. King Abdullah is in good shape and was walking shortly after undergoing an operation last week, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said in newspaper reports on Sunday.

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November 28, 2010. (KATAKAMI/ FRANCE 24 / AFP) --- Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah is in good shape and was walking shortly after undergoing an operation last week, Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz said in newspaper reports on Sunday.

Nayef, the king's half-brother considered second in line to the throne, said the 86-year-old king was walking "outside" his New York city hospital on his own feet after his operation Wednesday for a herniated disc, the reports said.

The prince gave no indication of whether the king had been discharged from New York Presbyterian Hospital, nor when he would be returning to the Middle East oil powerhouse he has ruled for five years.
Abdullah left Riyadh on Monday for the operation.

Despite the unusual level of transparency about his ailment, the news sparked worries among the population over the reformist monarch's long-term health and the make-up of the royal family dominated government overall.

The leading princes of the government, including Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, are mostly in their 70s and 80s and have held their jobs for decades.

Many are believed suffering chronic ailments that have not been reported publicly. (*)