As if to underline its awkwardness of timing, Kazakhstan's leaders are among those quoted by American diplomats in the cables transmitted from WikiLeaks, juicy, with descriptions of their lifestyle — from a private Elton John concert to Kazakhstan's President's son-in-law, to the President's baronial horse farm to a crazy night of the club hopping by the Prime Minister.
An official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, Mrs. Clinton had read the leaked cables, neither raised them with the President, Nursultan Nazarbayev. She is scheduled to meet him at a conference here on Wednesday.
But two prominent women, who came to hear her speak at a University lo off the question, saying that the revelations about high-living leaders was old hat in their country, and that these would prejudice either standing United States or its relations with Kazakhstan.
"It is very entertaining reading," said one of them, Aigul Solovyeva, Member of Parliament who credits Mrs. Clinton with inspiring her to enter politics. the other female politician, Battalova Zauresh, went further, saying, "it is a confirmation of American leadership in the global political issues".
Mrs. Clinton, however, it does not reject the leaked material so easily by a student. asked the WikiLeaks case, she reiterated its condemnation of the release of the cables, said it would threaten human rights activists, religious leaders and antigovernment figures lives.
"This was a very irresponsible, thoughtless action which is placed in danger of innocent people throughout the world without much regard for those who are most vulnerable, including journalists," she says. it was Mrs Clinton's second reference to journalists in connection with the leaks.She noted that the secrecy of communications was crucial for both journalists and officials.
Still, Mrs. Clinton tried not to allow the leak to the muddy her message on transparency in this restrictive country.While she credited to Kazakhstan for come further than its neighbours to protect human rights and democracy, "she said more needed to be done. She promised to investigate the matter on a imprisoned journalist who was raised by her observations of the man's wife.
In the Internet age, Mrs. Clinton said, it was difficult to balance freedom and responsibility.Some Governments, she said, was overreacting by throwing the bloggers in prison. at the same time, can spread information online be harmful, she said, citing the recent case of a young man in New Jersey, who committed suicide after a colleague students posted video of him in a gay sexual encounter.
"We have got to support and protect freedom of expression, whether it is from an individual or a journalist," she said. "But there must also be some rules or some sense of responsibility, which must be inculcated. "
None of the information on Kazakhstan in the cables are especially outrageous, but they are somewhat satirical in tone.
In a passage described Mr Karim Masimov k. which arrive at 11: 30 in Chocolat, one of the trendy nightclubs in the capital, Astana. like other members of his group got to dance, it was Mr. Masimov spotted by us officials dance alone on a scene with views over the floor. another senior official Kazakh, cable, said, "appears to enjoy Loosening in the ' homo Sovieticus style proven ' — IE.drink themselves into a stupor. "
The cable goes to describe a dinner, the cast of a wealthy oligarch, Alexander Mashkevich, for Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister, Kanat Saudabayev and two unnamed American congressmen. "It is not clear what his spending billions on Mashkevich, but it is certainly not culinary talent, "said cable, which describes a menu with the boiled meat and noodles and surly waiters who behaved as if they had been trained at the" Soviet cafeteria Training Academy. "
"Wine, was at least something soft," it concluded.
Mrs. Clinton has said she would continue to reach out to world leaders whose names or countries were in the cables. it could make her five-day trip to Central Asia and the Persian Gulf something of a repentance trip, when she is likely to experience European and Persian Gulf leaders that appear in a much less innocent light than Mr Nazarbayev and his colleagues.
But at its next stop, Kyrgyzstan, she is likely to get a break: only noteworthy cable as the country number is for a lunch with Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom and the local and foreign businessmen. After listening to its guests catalogue the corrupt business practices in Kyrgyzstan, the Prince is quoted as saying, "all of this sounds exactly like France.
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