SINGAPORE, Dec 13, 2010 (AFP) – Singapore expressed confidence Monday that WikiLeaks revelations of disparaging remarks made by some of its most senior diplomats about close allies would not harm “robust” ties.

“Countries base relationships on their own interests and not hearsay or gossip,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement.

“Singapore has long-standing, robust and positive relationships with all countries in our region. These relationships are built on a strong foundation of shared interests and mutually beneficial cooperation in many areas.”

Confidential US state department documents leaked to Australia’s Fairfax media group and published over the weekend said senior Singapore diplomats made scathing comments on leaders of Thailand, Malaysia, India and Japan.

The MFA said the cables did not reflect the full context in which the comments were made.

“These press reports are based on American interpretations of confidential conversations that did not provide the full context and, in some cases, were from third-party sources,” it said.

Permanent secretary for the MFA, Bilahari Kausikan, reportedly told US Deputy Secretary of Defence for East Asia David Sedney in 2008: “A lack of competent leadership is a real problem for Malaysia.”

In a 2009 memo, Singapore’s ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh — known for being mild-mannered and eloquent in public — was uncharacteristically blunt in his assessment of regional heavyweights Japan and India.

“Koh described Japan as ‘the big fat loser’ in the context of improving ties between China and ASEAN,” the documents revealed.

In its statement, the foreign ministry emphasised Singapore’s opposition to WikiLeaks’ whistle-blowing activities.

“Singapore takes leaks of confidential information very seriously and would not tolerate it here,” it said.