The US embassy in Kathmandu regretted the disclosure of classified state department documents meant to be confidential, in a move mirroring that of American diplomats worldwide.

Issuing a statement, US ambassador to Nepal Scott H DeLisi said that the US has deeply regretted the disclosure of classified state department documents through Wikileaks.

“Whatever their motives are in publishing these documents, it is clear that releasing them poses real risks to real people, and often to particular people who have dedicated their lives to protecting others,” he said. The documents, supposedly downloaded from US Defence Department computers, “appear to contain our diplomats’ assessments of policies, negotiations, and leaders from countries around the world as well as reports on private conversations with people inside and outside other governments.”

The statement was issued after the Nepali media reported that of the 251,287 cables to be released in phases, 2,278 are related to Nepal. Media reports also said that of these, 84 are categorised as secret, 1,299 confidential, and 795 as unclassified. The majority of the cables sent between 2005 and early 2010 are believed to deal with the Maoist insurgency, Bhutanese and Tibetan refugees, Nepali political parties, and Nepal’s relations with India and China.

DeLisi said, “I cannot vouch for the authenticity of any one of these documents. But I can say that the United States deeply regrets the disclosure of any information that was intended to be confidential.”

The US Ambassador clarified that diplomats must engage in frank discussions with

their colleagues, and they must be assured that these discussions will remain private honest dialogue – within governments and between them – as part of the basic bargain of international relations.

“We could not maintain peace, security, and international stability without it. I’m sure that Nepal’s ambassadors to the United States would say the same thing. They too depend on being able to exchange honest opinions with their counterparts in Washington and send home their assessments of America’s leaders, policies, and actions,” the statement reads.