France said on Monday, November 29 it was standing by the United States as Washington faced the fallout from the release of thousands of secret diplomatic cables, calling the leaks a threat to democratic sovereignty.

Whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks on Sunday released a trove of cables exchanged between Washington and U.S. embassies around the world, exposing the at-times brutal honesty with which diplomats view their foreign hosts, including France.

Government spokesman Francois Baroin said France was made aware of the cables before their release and pledged to support the United States, a NATO ally, in defending diplomatic secrecy.

"We are very supportive of the American administration in its efforts to avoid what not only damages countries' authority and the quality of their services, but also endangers men and women working to defend their country," Baroin told Europe 1 Radio, Reuters reported.