Wikileaks cables at a glance

December 3, 2010
Issue 

• A secret, US-backed operation had started to remove enriched uranium spent fuel from a Pakistani nuclear reactor research facility.

• The US, Israel and several Middle East countries collaborated to isolate and threaten Iran, and several European countries were revealed to be holding US-owned nuclear weapons on their soil.

• "The United States has told France that Israel could strike Iran without US military support but the operation might not be successful", AFP said on November 29. Israel has said it was "satisfied" with its portrayal of inciting war against Iran and its coordinated "missile program" with the US, saying it was in line with its public image.

• US diplomats bargained with other countries to take Guantanamo Bay prisoners, in exchange for a visit from Obama or multimillion dollar incentives. Kiribati and Slovenia were among those pressured to help resettle former detainees.

• US diplomats said Turkey was divided and "permeated by Islamists".

• The Russian government was accused in one cable of having links to organised crime and mafia bosses.

• The US ambassador in Sri Lanka admitted the government, which refuses to be held accountable, had restricted investigations into extensive war crimes in Sri Lanka.

• The US embassy in Kabul reported to Washington that Afghanistan's vice president was found to be carrying $52 million in cash during a 2009 trip to Dubai.

• US diplomats in Latin America focused on isolating Venezuela and gathering detailed intelligence on political leaders and elected governments.

• The US ambassador to Honduras described the violent military ousting of Honduran president Manuel Zelaya in 2009 as "clearly illegal" and coup leader Roberto Micheletti's "ascendance as 'interim president' was totally illegitimate".



Wikileaks in summary

• The 251,287 leaked cables cover from December 28, 1966 to February 28 2010 and originate from 274 US embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions.
• 15,652 are classified secret.
• 101,748 are confidential.
• 133,887 are unclassified.
• Iraq was the most discussed country, named in 15,365 cables.
• There are 8,017 cables from the office of the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
• According to the US State Departments labelling system, the most frequent subjects discussed are: External political relations — 145,451; Internal government affairs — 122,896; Human rights — 55,211; Economic conditions — 49,044; Terrorists and terrorism — 28,801;, the UN security council — 6,532.

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