A top aide to German foreign minister Guido Westerwelle has been identified as the person responsible for passing on information about government coalition talks to the United States embassy in the latest WikiLeaks disclosures.
A spokesman for Westerwelle's Free Democratic Party told mediapersons on Thursday that his personal assistant Helmut Metzner admitted having passed on confidential information on coalition negotiations to the Americans and he was removed from his office.
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A spokesman for Westerwelle's Free Democratic Party told mediapersons on Thursday that his personal assistant Helmut Metzner admitted having passed on confidential information on coalition negotiations to the Americans and he was removed from his office.
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Confidential contacts leaked to US embassy: Envoy
Photographs: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
The existence of the informer was revealed by the first batch of classified diplomatic cables from US embassies around the world, released by the whistle-blower website WikiLeaks on Monday.
In one of the dispatches, US ambassador Philip Murphy wrote on October 9, 2009 about a "young, up-and-coming party-goer" of the FDP, who provides the embassy with confidential information. Metzner was in charge of "international contacts" during the coalition negotiations preceding the formation the centre-right coalition government a year ago.
In one of the dispatches, US ambassador Philip Murphy wrote on October 9, 2009 about a "young, up-and-coming party-goer" of the FDP, who provides the embassy with confidential information. Metzner was in charge of "international contacts" during the coalition negotiations preceding the formation the centre-right coalition government a year ago.
No legal action against German 'mole'
Photographs: Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters
The spokesman of the FDP said there is no ground for taking any legal action against Metzner, who was approached by the US embassy and he "acted in his own responsibility."
However, it is not clear how valuable was the information the FDP informer gave to American diplomats.
However, it is not clear how valuable was the information the FDP informer gave to American diplomats.
FDP defends Metzner, says media carried the info earlier
Photographs: Christian Charisius/Reuters
Murphy said in one of his cables to the US state department that he was informed in October last year about differences between German chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and the FDP over dismantling the remaining American nuclear weapons in Germany.
The FDP argues that this information was already carried by the newspapers at that time. Westerwelle said on Monday that he did not believe in the revelations and he has full confidence in his staff. He also hoped that they will not have any consequence for US-German relations.
The FDP argues that this information was already carried by the newspapers at that time. Westerwelle said on Monday that he did not believe in the revelations and he has full confidence in his staff. He also hoped that they will not have any consequence for US-German relations.
WikiLeaks: Merkel is tenacious, Westerwelle anti-American
Photographs: Tobias Schwarz/Reuters
The German government is outraged by some of the top-secret diplomatic secret cables, which implied that the leaders of the centre right coalition are not fit for their job.
The chancellor, who is also the chairman of the CDU, is referred in the diplomatic correspondence with her nickname "Angela Teflon Merkel".
"When cornered, Merkel can be tenacious, but is risk averse and rarely creative," the diplomats wrote. In their perception, Westerwelle is a "wild card" with "exuberant personality", who has to learn a lot about his new office. He has "very little of his own ideas" to solve international problems. He is anti-American and a burden for US-German relations, the cables revealed.
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