Hillary downplays damage from WikiLeaks
ASTANA(Kazakhstan): US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at an international security summit Wednesday reiterated an earlier statement that the leaking of sensitive US diplomatic documents would not hinder Washington's work with other countries.
"I have certainly raised the issue of the leaks in order to assure our colleagues that it will not in any way interfere with American diplomacy or our commitment to continuing important work that is ongoing," Clinton said.
She was speaking at a press briefing at the summit of the 56-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in the Kazakh capital Astana, just days after the documents were released by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks.
"I have not had any concerns expressed about whether any nation will not continue to work with and discuss matters of importance... going forward," she added.
Clinton's counterpart, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev, expressed understanding of the US predicament and said the leaks would have "no effect for our strategic partnership".
"I believe that what has happened is part of the normal price that one has occasionally to pay when we do our work," he said.