Cablegate content: Europe

See also WikiLeaks, WikiLeaks: List of mirror sites and Electronic attacks and criminal prosecution against WikiLeaks

This article has been split into separate sections to handle the large amount of information

• United States diplomatic cables WikiLeak
• Cablegate content: Americas, organisations and leaders
• Cablegate content: Europe
• Cablegate content: Middle East and North Africa
• Cablegate content: East Asia and Oceania
• Cablegate content: South Asia
• Cablegate data, and response

The United States diplomatic cables leak began on 28 November 2010 when the website WikiLeaks and five major newspapers published confidential documents of detailed correspondences between the U.S. State Department and its diplomatic missions around the world. The publication of the U.S. embassy cables is the third in a series of U.S. classified document "mega-leaks" distributed by WikiLeaks in 2010, following the Afghan War Diary in July, and the Iraq War Logs in October.

The first 291 of the 251,287 documents were published on 28 November, with simultaneous press coverage from El País (Spain), Le Monde (France), Der Spiegel (Germany), The Guardian (United Kingdom), and The New York Times (United States). Over 130,000 of the documents are unclassified; none are classified as "top secret" on the classification scale; some 100,000 are labeled "confidential"; and about 15,000 documents have the higher classification "secret". As of December 8, 2010 1060 individual cables had been released. WikiLeaks plans to release the entirety of the cables in phases over several months.

The cables describe international affairs from 274 embassies dated from 1966–2010. The content includes diplomatic analysis of world leaders, an assessment of host countries, and discussion about many international and domestic issues, from the Middle East to nuclear disarmament, from the War on Terror to attempts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Content concerning Europe

Albania

• After accepting five Uighur detainees from Guantánamo Bay in 2006, Sali Berisha offered to take three to six detainees extra. American diplomats portrayed his offer as "gracious, but probably extravagant... as always, the Albanians are willing to go the extra mile to assist with one of our key foreign policy priorities".

Armenia

• The 2010 diplomatic cable leaks revealed US anger against Armenia for allegedly shipping arms to Iran. In late 2008, US diplomats came to the conclusion that the government of Armenia had supplied Iran with rockets and machine guns in 2003, which were subsequently sent by Iran to insurgents in Iraq and used to kill American soldiers there. The allegation was denied by Armenian President Serge Sargsyan. The cables contain a critical letter from John D. Negroponte to Sargsyan.

Austria

• U.S. diplomats criticised the Austrian government — and especially Austria Chancellor Werner Faymann, and minister of defence Norbert Darabos — for the lack of interest in foreign policy. Foreign minister Michael Spindelegger is criticised for only caring about the expansion of the Austrian economy. Further contacts between Austrian banks and Iran and North Korea are criticised.

Baltic countries

• The three Baltic countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been added to Poland as countries to be defended from Russia. Such plans by the US and NATO were revealed by the leak of a confidential cable from US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in January 2010 that allegedly stated that this expansion of pre-existing contingency plans, known as Eagle Guardian, had been approved by NATO allies. This would specifically involve American, British, German and Polish NATO divisions. The cable also warned against public discussion of the military plans for fears of unneeded increase of NATO-Russia tensions. According to Russian foreign ministry sources they were "perplexed" to learn of these plans.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

• The French government pushed for the closure of the Office of the High Representative despite conditions not being met, in opposition to the US.
• US and Turkish officials pressured Haris Silajdžić, a former member of the presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to ease his rhetoric and desist from using the word "genocide" in relation to Serbs.
• Milorad Dodik, then prime minister of the Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, supported the Ahtisaari plan for the independence of Kosovo.

Croatia

• A cable written by the United States Ambassador to Croatia Ralph Frank in November 2003 reveals the American interest in obtaining the S-300 surface-to-air missile system from Croatia. The Croatian government acquired the system in 1995, before the Operation Storm, but it was incomplete and was never operative. According to other sources, including the court testimony of arms dealer Zvonko Zubak, the system was indeed shipped to the United States in 2004.

Denmark

• Former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, during a meeting with Turkish foreign ministry undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu, promised to shut down the controversial Denmark-based Kurdish TV-station Roj TV, in order to prevent Turkish obstruction to his appointment as Secretary General of NATO.

Georgia

• U.S. dispatches had apparently reported as early as 2007 that Russia had provided Grad missiles and other arms to the Georgian separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and had engaged in a large variety of covert activities aimed at destabilizing Georgia, before the 2008 war.
• It is implied in the cables that Georgia ignored Armenian offers for discussion on the situation and humanitarian measures during the 2008 war, causing many Armenian diplomats to feel offended. Eduard Nalbandyan, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, noted that if Armenian and Georgian ties weaken, there could be problems in the future with Javakhk Armenians.
• The U.S. had consistently viewed only the Georgian account of events as legitimate regarding Georgia's conflict with Russia.

Germany

• A number of cables from the Berlin embassy reveal the U.S. concern on Germany’s position in the SWIFT-, TFTP- and the bilateral US-Germany data sharing agreement. A revealing cable from December 2009 (09BERLIN1528) describes how German Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maizière overruled Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and abstained from voting at the November 30 Committee of Permanent Representatives vote in Brussels on an interim U.S.-EU agreement to continue the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP).
• U.S. embassy personnel were very critical of German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle. American diplomats have criticized his effectiveness, stating that "he's no Genscher". An embassy cable sent from Berlin on 22 September 2009 describes Westerwelle as having an "exuberant personality" and calling him an "enigma" who "remains sceptical about the US".
• American officials warned Germany in 2007 not to enforce arrest warrants for CIA officers involved in a bungled operation in which Khalid El-Masri, an innocent German citizen with the same name as a suspected militant, was mistakenly kidnapped and held for months in Afghanistan.
• It is revealed that the U.S. had an informant in the coalition talks between the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Free Democratic Party (FDP) for Cabinet Merkel II. FDP chairman Guido Westerwelle's chief of staff Helmut Metzner admitted that he gave regular information to the U.S. embassy.

Ireland

• A 2006 memo on Ireland featured when on 1 December 2010 it was revealed that American diplomats discussed the Irish government's attempts to oppose American military use of Shannon Airport before Ireland's 2007 general election. After this release Amnesty International asked the Irish government to tighten its legislation to control the use of Irish airspace by the Americans. Colm O'Gorman, the organisation's executive director in Ireland, observed that concerns expressed by Irish citizens over the misuse of the airport by the Americans was "a problem to be managed rather than something to be taken seriously".
• According to a 2006 diplomatic cable sent from the U.S. embassy in Ireland, "the Irish Government has informally begun to place constraints on US military transits" at Shannon Airport. The Irish government attempted to limit the transfer of weapons from the U.S. to Israel via the Shannon Airport. James C. Kenny, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland at the time, said Irish officials were warned that the U.S. would use other airports if the policy continued.

Italy

• American officials voiced concerns over Berlusconi's relationship with Putin, "including 'lavish gifts,' lucrative energy contracts and a 'shadowy' Russian-speaking Italian go-between". Diplomats consider him "to be the mouthpiece of Putin" in Europe.
• The Georgian ambassador in Rome has told American officials that Georgia believes Putin has promised Berlusconi a percentage of profits from any pipelines developed by Gazprom in coordination with Eni S.p.A..
• Berlusconi is alleged to have not supported Kosovo's independence because of his affinity towards Russia.
• Berlusconi's foreign policy is seen as chaotic, meddling with critical themes and "complicating international efforts" in matters such as Iranian nuclear crisis, relationship with Russia and G8 policies

Poland

• The diplomatic cables reveal the US army Patriot missiles, deployed in north-eastern Poland in early 2010, were neither operational nor armed with missiles and their value was purely symbolic. The Polish government however believed that the US Patriot battery had boosted Polish air defences. The February 2009 cable from Victor Ashe, the US ambassador in Warsaw, to Washington reveales that the Poles have not been told that the battery would rotate without actual missiles and that the Polish officials expectations were naive.

Romania

• Former European Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten was quoted saying in 2004 that Croatia was probably far more prepared for EU membership than either Bulgaria or Romania, adding that Romania, in particular, was a "feral nation".
• The US Embassy in Paris informs about a talk between Pierre Moscovici and Victoria Nuland, US Ambassador to NATO. The 2006 cable reads that Moscovici said that Romania and Bulgaria will join the EU in 2007 but the joining will be accompanied by heated debates.
• A 2007 cable presents a discussion among American and French diplomats. One of the French diplomats comment that Russians could argue that American military bases in Bulgaria and Romania are destined not only for trainings but also for new implementations. The comment is not explained nor commented.
• A 2009 cable presents an information for FBI director Robert Mueller reading that France is a destination of prostitute victims and Romania appears as a supplier of prostitutes
• February 5, 2009 Hillary Clinton meets French Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner and talks include a mention that Romania and Poland were completely cut off from the energy policy.

Russia

• Alleged links between the Russian government and organised crime. Russia was labelled as a Mafia-state.
• Russian president Dmitry Medvedev often acts under the influence of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and "plays Robin to Putin's Batman".
• Diplomats were highly sceptical of Putin's claim that he knew nothing about Alexander Litvinenko's poisoning.
• U.S. dispatches had apparently reported as early as 2007 that Russia had provided Grad missiles and other arms to the Georgian separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and had engaged in a large variety of covert activities aimed at destabilizing Georgia, before the 2008 war.
• Russian leaders, in response to the Holodomor, sent a letter by President Medvedev to "[Azerbaijan’s President] Ilham Aliyev telling him that if Azerbaijan supported the designation of the Bolshevik artificial famine in Ukraine as 'genocide' at the United Nations, 'then you can forget about seeing [the break-away republic of] Nagorno-Karabakh ever again.'

Chechnya

• Reports that Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechnyan leader, "showered" his friends at a wedding with gold.
• Reports from an unnamed, non-Chechen source in Moscow that the Kremlin-appointed Chechen leadership was "lacking experts to develop programs for economic recovery, is simply demanding and disposing of cash from the central government."
• Chris Patten, the former European commissioner apparently said of Vladimir Putin "He seems a completely reasonable man when discussing the Middle East or energy policy, but when the conversation shifts to Chechnya or Islamic extremism, Putin's eyes turn to those of a killer."

Dagestan

• Reports on the lavish lifestyle of the Dagestani elites.
• Concerns about increasing levels of fundamentalist Islam.

Serbia and Kosovo

• In 2009, French diplomat Jean-David Levitte said that EULEX has diplomatic issues with the Kosovo government and public, and that Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić "makes promises that he never keeps". He also criticised Jeremić for inaction in encouraging "Serb return or participation in the Kosovo government".
• The Guardian suggested that cables regarding Serbia awaiting publication could refer to reasons why Ratko Mladić has not yet been arrested.

Slovenia

• According to the cables, the State Department ordered diplomats to spy on their Slovenian counterparts, with directives such as gaining their credit card numbers and phonebooks. American diplomats were also ordered to research Slovenian international relations, including various agreements and projects connected to Russia. The U.S. also wanted to gain information on subjects such as money laundering and organised crime, as well as information on locations of various chemical factories, secret underground military bases, evacuation plans of hospitals and buildings of the goverment and Slovenia's commitment to the War in Afghanistan.

Spain

• U.S. officials tried to pressure Spain into dropping court investigations into the CIA's extraordinary rendition, torture at Guantanamo Bay, and the 2003 killing of José Couso, a Spanish journalist, in Iraq by American troops. Moreover, politicians such as the former Deputy Prime Minister María Teresa Fernández de la Vega and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the Attorney General Cándido Conde-Pumpido and Audiencia Nacional judge Javier Gómez Bermúdez, among others, also collaborated with U.S. officials in the above cases and in forcing the downfall of Audiencia Nacional judge Baltasar Garzón.

United Kingdom

• U.K. Foreign Office officials misled the public over Diego Garcia, and privately admitted no regret over the eviction of the Chagos islanders (Chagossians).
• U.K. Foreign Office officials concealed from Parliament a loophole in the ban on use and storage of cluster bombs, allowing the U.S. to store the munitions on U.K. territory
• The U.K. Ministry of Defence's director general for security policy told Ellen Tauscher, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, that the U.K. government had "put measures in place to protect your interests during the UK inquiry into the causes of the Iraq war".
• Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was noted as saying "The Americans don’t understand geography. Never have. In the UK, we have the best geography teachers in the world!"
• Secretary of State David Miliband directed much of his attention to the final stages of Sri Lankan Civil War in order to win the votes of Tamils in the UK.
• The U.S. dismissed U.K. concerns about the use of RAF Akrotiri to stage U-2 spy plane flights.
• The British government secretly supported the early release of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi, who was convicted of carrying out the Lockerbie bombing. The British government had previously stated that the release, authorised by the Scottish government, was "a mistake" which it regretted.

Citations

Alternate Guardian source, given similar & thus confusing ref name >> Tisdall, Simon. Wikileaks Cables Reveal China 'Ready To Abandon North Korea' — Leaked Dispatches Show Beijing Is Frustrated with Military Actions of 'Spoiled Child' and Increasingly Favours Reunified Korea. The Guardian. URL accessed on 30 November 2010.

External links

• Secret US Embassy Cables website by WikiLeaks.
• The US embassy cables by The Guardian.
• State's Secrets by The New York Times.
• WikiLeaks Diplomatic Cables by Der Spiegel
• The Arrest of Julian Assange and the U.S. "War on WikiLeaks" - video report by Democracy Now!