The U.S. Embassy said today it regretted the release of alleged embassy cables.

In a statement, the embassy said it is a longstanding rule that it does not comment on classified material but, it said, the US government engages in the drafting of cables as an efficient way for the field to share information with Washington and for Washington to respond.

"Field reporting is candid, preliminary and often incomplete. The reporting does not express policy and may only express the opinion of the reporting officer," the emmbassy said.

"The U.S. Embassy works closely with the government of Malta on a variety of fronts such as customs inspection to detect illicit drugs and weapons of mass destruction, and strengthening the search and rescue capability of the AFM, which improves the security of Malta and the region. These irresponsible leaks may jeopardize our mutual security and the security of others. Releasing the names of individuals cited in conversations that took place in confidence potentially puts careers at risk. It is reprehensible for an individual or organization to attempt to gain notoriety at the expense of engagement between nations. Global diplomacy suffers. Given the potential and unfortunate impact, we condemn such unauthorized disclosures and are taking very aggressive action to ensure that our private communications remain private."