The release of hundreds of sensitive diplomatic cables between Icelandic and American authorities has prompted members of parliament to discuss the implications of Wikileaks.
As has been reported, Wikileaks has released thousands of previously secret communications between diplomatic officials from around the world. An Icelandic spokesman for the site, Kristinn Hrafnsson, confirmed that there are close to 300 communications, dating between 2005 and 2010, between Iceland and the US, some of them including Iceland trying to prevent the NATO base from leaving (which it eventually did, in 2006).
Leftist-Green MP Álfheiður Ingadóttir asked Minister of Foreign Affairs Össur Skarphéðinsson for his take on the diplomatic cables, whether the practice of saving sensitive diplomatic communiques was common, and whether such files existed in Iceland.
Össur responded that he has not yet read the files. However, Urður Gunnarsdóttir, the media representative for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed for Fréttablaðið that US government officials had contacted the ministry, letting them know ahead of time to expect diplomatic cables to be leaked.
Össur did say, though, that he considered the collection of such communiques to be “very inappropriate”, saying he would consider it very bad if diplomats were gathering information that could potentially harm other countries. While he speculated that the release of the documents could strain relations between the US and other countries, he could not speak to Iceland’s relationship with the US.
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