[LINK] Rudd blames US for leaks, says US security not adequate

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/08/3088461.htm

> Rudd blames US, not Assange for leaks
> 
> Mr Assange is in custody in Britain facing extradition to Sweden. (Time magazine)
> Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says the United States, not WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, is to blame for the release of secret diplomatic cables.
> 
> Mr Rudd says the 39-year-old Australian cannot be held personally responsible for the release of more than 250,000 documents.
> 
> He says the leaks raise questions about the adequacy of US security.
> 
> "Mr Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," said Mr Rudd, who has been criticised in one leaked cable as a "control freak".
> 
> "The Americans are responsible for that."
> 
> Mr Rudd appears to be in agreement with former prime minister John Howard, who earlier today said Mr Assange had not done anything wrong by publishing cables that contained "frank commentary".
> 
> "Any journalist will publish confidential information if he or she gets hold of it, subject only to compelling national security interests," Mr Howard said.
> 
> "The issue is whether any of this material and the publication of it will endanger people's lives or endanger individual countries.
> 
> "The bad people in this little exercise are the people who gave the information to him, because they're the people who breached the trust.
> 
> "They deserve to be chased and prosecuted."
> 
> Some US politicians are looking for ways to indict Mr Assange over the breach of security.
> 
> Mr Assange is in custody in Britain facing extradition to Sweden in relation to sexual assault allegations, but authorities in both  countries insist his detention has nothing to do with the recent release of the secret cables.
> 
> Mr Assange, who denies the allegations, will remain behind bars until an extradition hearing on December 14.
> 
> The original source of the leaks is not known, though a US army private who worked as an intelligence analyst in Iraq, Bradley Manning, has been charged by military authorities with unauthorised downloading of more than 150,000 State Department cables.
> 
> US officials have declined to say whether those cables are those now being released by WikiLeaks.


-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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