World news in brief

Italy leader: I throw only dignified parties

ROME

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi insists he only throws elegant, dignified soirees at his villas and not wild parties described by a Rome-based U.S. diplomat in a cable contained in the WikiLeaks trove.

Berlusconi said he didn’t care to read what the diplomat had to report, saying “I don’t look at what third-rate or fourth-rate officials say.”

According to the cable, the diplomat said of Berlusconi that “frequent late nights and penchant for partying hardly means he does not get sufficient rest.”

Berlusconi said Monday he didn’t attend “wild parties.”

He added that “once a month, I throw dinner parties at my houses, where everything takes place in a proper, dignified and elegant way.”

Berlusconi has been accused of entertaining escorts and underage girls at his villas.

Ahmadinejad: Leaks intended for ‘mischief’

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran’s president says leaked American diplomatic cables recounting Arab calls for the U.S. to launch a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities were intended to stir “mischief.”

According to the cables released Sunday by online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program to stop Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“We don’t give any value to these documents,” Ahmadinejad told a news conference Monday. “It’s without legal value. Iran and regional states are friends. Such acts of mischief have no impact on relations between nations.”

Ahmadinejad alleged the leaks were an “organized” effort by the U.S. to stir trouble between Iran and Arab neighbors.

Israel: Arabs agree Iran is a danger

TEL AVIV, Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says newly leaked U.S. diplomatic memos about the Saudi king offer clear proof that the Arab world agrees with his country’s assessment that Iran is the chief danger to the Middle East.

According to the documents released Sunday by online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia repeatedly urged the United States to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program. The king is just one of many Arab voices in the documents calling for tough action against Iran — proof that Israel is not alone in its belief that Tehran is a growing menace to the region, Netanyahu said.

“The greatest threat to world peace stems from the arming of the regime in Iran. More and more states, governments and leaders in the Middle East and in far reaches of the world understand this is a fundamental threat,” Netanyahu told a news conference Monday.

Pakistan: No one touches our nukes

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan is defending its decision to deny a U.S. request to remove fuel from one of its nuclear reactors, despite reported concerns that it could be diverted to make an illicit weapon.

The disagreement between the two allies first surfaced Sunday when several news organizations reported details from nearly a quarter million classified U.S. diplomatic cables released by the online whistle-blower WikiLeaks.

U.S. officials have long expressed concern that Islamic extremists in Pakistan could target the country’s nuclear program in an attempt to steal a weapon or, more likely, the materials needed to build one.

Pakistan has always said it is confident its nuclear security is good enough to prevent this from happening — a stance supported publicly by the U.S. But the leaked cables reportedly reveal the U.S. has doubts and has clashed with Pakistan over the issue.

“No one can touch Pakistan’s nuclear facilities and assets,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit said in a press release.

Australia joins WikiLeaks probe

CANBERRA, Australia

Police were investigating whether any Australian law was broken by the latest leaking of confidential documents by online whistle-blower WikiLeaks, the attorney-general said Monday.

Robert McClelland said he was not aware of a request from the United States to cancel WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s Australian passpor t. A range of options were under consideration by Australian government agencies in response to the latest disclosure of classified U.S. material, he said.

McClelland told reporters there are “potentially a number of criminal laws” that could have been breached.

Vindicator Wire Reports