Clinton Faces Leaders Dissed in Secret Cables

Dec. 1. 2010— -- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi with both a smile and an explanation when the two met in Kazakhstan today for the first time since a raft of embarrassing secret diplomatic cables were released.

The Italian wasn't the only world leader to whom Clinton owed an explanation. The secretary of state arrived Tuesday in Astana, Kazakhstan, for a meeting on Afghan and regional security, but found herself surrounded by allies who American diplomats had described in less than diplomatic language.

In one cable, released this week by the Web site Wikileaks, Berlusconi is unflatteringly described as "feckless, vain and ineffective."

In her first international summit, since the documents were released, Clinton took the opportunity to clear the air.

"We have no better friend, we have no one who supports the American policies as consistently as Prime Minister Berlusconi has," Clinton told reporters as the two met amid handshakes and smiles.

Berlusconi laughed off the incident, but according to one source was angry that it created one more scandal in an already lengthy list for the Italian.

"He noted that this had stimulated a lot of discussion in Italy and that was, not surprisingly, a problem," a senior State Department official told Reuters.

Clinton said she did not believe the breach would seriously damage U.S. relations with any allies, but said she would discuss any foreign government's concerns over the leak.

"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. I have not had any concerns expressed about whether any nation will not continue to work with and discuss matters of importance to us both, going forward… I am confident that the work that our diplomats do every single day will go forward," she said.

Greeting Clinton when she arrived in Astana was Kazakhstan's prime minister, described in one lengthy cable as attending a nightclub and dancing alone for hours on a lighted stage. His defense minister was described as having drunk himself into a stupor.

"I believe that what has happened is part of a normal cost, or a normal price, that one has occasionally to pay while we lead our work. That is why we will be able to live through this incident, as we have through others. And, as head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in my country, now declare that this will have no effect for our strategic partnership between the United States and Kazakhstan," said Kazakh Forein Minister Kanat Saudabayev.

Also at the meeting of the organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe were French President Nicolas Sarkozy, described in one cable as "mercurial" and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, a confidant of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, whom American diplomats called "Robin to Putin's Batman."

German Prime Minister Angela Merkel was also at the meet in Astana.

Clinton next travels to the Middle East, where she will again confront leaders embarrassed by the cables.

The summit comes just a day after Wikileaks founder Julian Assange called for Clinton to resign.