Around 1,442 classified U.S. documents procured by whistleblower website WikiLeaks find mention of America’s ally Australia.
According to an AAP report, the foreign cables were just a small part of thousands of documents placed on the website and one document mentioned about what was going behind the scenes at the 2007 APEC meeting in Sydney.
The previously classified secret documents revealed discussions between the U.S. and China about an arms shipment headed to Iran which was passing through Beijing on its way to the Middle East.
The document sent an order for “urgent action” on North Korea sending arms to Iran via Beijing.
“In September, during their meeting at the APEC summit in Sydney, Australia, President Bush discussed with Chinese President Hu his strong concerns relating to the ongoing trans-shipment via Beijing of key ballistic missile parts from North Korea to Iran’s missile programme,” the cable reports.
The documents leaked focus on diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Middle East states, it said.
One document talks of political matters in Zimbabwe and describes Australia as a “rock solid” ally of the U.S.
The confidential document from the U.S. embassy in Harare gives a detailed update on the tenuous situation in the southern Africa nation.
Signed by U.S. Ambassador Christopher W Dell, the cable talks of the difficulties of change in a country run by dictator Robert Mugabe.
“To give the devil his due, he is a brilliant tactician (sic) and has long thrived on his ability to abruptly change the rules of the game, radicalise the political dynamic and force everyone else to react to his agenda,” the cable said.
Mr. Dell goes on to outline the unlikely possibility of quick and large change in Zimbabwe. “Rock solid partners like Australia don’t pack enough punch to step out front and the United Nations is a non-player.”
