<p>Rudd said those who originally leaked the documents were legally liable and that the leaks raised questions over the "adequacy" of US security over the cables.<br /><br />"Mr (Julian) Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," Rudd said.<br />"The Americans are responsible for that," he said.<br /><br />Rudd had also said that Australia was providing consular support to Assanage, 39, who was arrested in London yesterday on allegations of sexual assaults in Sweden.<br /><br />"I'm the foreign minister of Australia, responsible for the consular well-being of all Australians and therefore I just want to make it absolutely clear that first of all Assange has contacted the Australian consul-general in London and asked for consular support," Rudd said.<br /><br />Assange had earlier accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the US.<br /><br />Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier called Assange's release of the cables "grossly irresponsible".<br /><br />Rudd, a former Australian Prime Minister, had earlier shrugged off claims he is an abrasive, impulsive "control freak".<br /><br />He said the criticism of him in US diplomatic cables being a "control freak" was like "water off a duck's back".<br /><br />"I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it," he was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Gillard also defended Rudd, the man she toppled to take leadership of the country, saying he was doing a "fantastic job" in foreign affairs.<br /><br />"Kevin Rudd is a man who throughout his adult life has devoted himself to expertise in foreign policy," she said.<br /><br />"He's bringing that expertise to bear for the Australian nation and doing an absolutely first-class job."<br /><br />Detailed messages, sent by the US embassy in Canberra over several years and obtained by WikiLeaks, show US officials viewed Rudd as a "control freak" while he was prime minister.<br /><br />US officials criticised his foreign relations performance for being focused on media-driven photo opportunities and for making snap announcements without consulting other countries.</p>
<p>Rudd said those who originally leaked the documents were legally liable and that the leaks raised questions over the "adequacy" of US security over the cables.<br /><br />"Mr (Julian) Assange is not himself responsible for the unauthorised release of 250,000 documents from the US diplomatic communications network," Rudd said.<br />"The Americans are responsible for that," he said.<br /><br />Rudd had also said that Australia was providing consular support to Assanage, 39, who was arrested in London yesterday on allegations of sexual assaults in Sweden.<br /><br />"I'm the foreign minister of Australia, responsible for the consular well-being of all Australians and therefore I just want to make it absolutely clear that first of all Assange has contacted the Australian consul-general in London and asked for consular support," Rudd said.<br /><br />Assange had earlier accused the Australian government of "disgraceful pandering" to the US.<br /><br />Prime Minister Julia Gillard had earlier called Assange's release of the cables "grossly irresponsible".<br /><br />Rudd, a former Australian Prime Minister, had earlier shrugged off claims he is an abrasive, impulsive "control freak".<br /><br />He said the criticism of him in US diplomatic cables being a "control freak" was like "water off a duck's back".<br /><br />"I don't, frankly, give a damn about this sort of thing. You just get on with it," he was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Gillard also defended Rudd, the man she toppled to take leadership of the country, saying he was doing a "fantastic job" in foreign affairs.<br /><br />"Kevin Rudd is a man who throughout his adult life has devoted himself to expertise in foreign policy," she said.<br /><br />"He's bringing that expertise to bear for the Australian nation and doing an absolutely first-class job."<br /><br />Detailed messages, sent by the US embassy in Canberra over several years and obtained by WikiLeaks, show US officials viewed Rudd as a "control freak" while he was prime minister.<br /><br />US officials criticised his foreign relations performance for being focused on media-driven photo opportunities and for making snap announcements without consulting other countries.</p>