Obama, Erdogan agree WikiLeaks' campaign will not harm ties

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Barack Obama told Turkish leader in a telephone call on Saturday, December 11 that WikiLeaks' actions were "deplorable" as the U.S. administration kept up damage control efforts over the website's embarrassing release of masses of secret U.S. cables.

In Obama's call with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan the leaders agreed that WikiLeaks' campaign would not harm their countries' ties.

The leaks touching on U.S. relations in virtually every part of the world have threatened to increase tensions with allies, spurring U.S. officials to seek to prevent foreign friends from reducing engagement on sensitive matters.

Documents relating to Turkey showed U.S. diplomats casting doubt on the reliability of their NATO ally and portraying its leadership as divided.

In Obama's call to Erdogan on Saturday, the two discussed "the enduring importance of the U.S.-Turkish partnership and affirmed their commitment to work together on a broad range of issues," the White House said.

"The president expressed his regrets for the deplorable action by WikiLeaks and the two leaders agreed that it will not influence or disrupt the close cooperation between the United States and Turkey," it said, Reuters reported.