US diplomats race to stave off allies' anger ahead of Wikileaks release

            Top United States officials have raced to contain the damage in recent days by warning foreign ministries in more than a dozen countries, including key allies Israel, Australia, Britain, Canada, and Turkey, ahead of the reported imminent release of millions of confidential US diplomatic cables on the whistle-blower website Wikileaks. US diplomats worked through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, hoping to stave off anger over the cables, which are internal messages that often lack the niceties diplomats voice in public. An independent French website reported that the leaks would be published simultaneously at 21:30 GMT, Sunday, by several western newspapers. (11,43)