Kabul:
Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai has dismissed recent US cables revealed by whistleblower website WikiLeaks, which portrayed him as corrupt and weak.
At a news conference held with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Karzai said at least one of the incidents described in the cables could not have happened as described. Gilani also said the cables should not be taken seriously.
An October 19, 2009, cable said that more than 190 million US dollars left Kabul for Dubai through Kabul International Airport during the previous 90 days, but actual amounts could be much larger.
The cable said the United Arab Emirates revealed that it had stopped former Afghan Vice President Ahmad Zia Masood entering the country with 52 million US dollars earlier in 2009.
He was allowed to keep most of the money "without revealing the money's origin or destination," according to the document.
But Karzai dismissed the cable. "If you put 52 million dollars in boxes, it will be at least 30 big suitcases, 30 at least, big suitcases. Can someone carry 30 suitcases with them," he asked.
Karzai then further went on to say that WikiLeaks has actually helped relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
"Whatever the intention was of the WikiLeaks, they helped relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. So in terms of this, WikiLeaks were good for us," he said.