Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says the timing of the release of video out-takes of him swearing and losing his temper is a little unusual but he is not going to point the finger at anyone.
He said the video, in which an obviously frustrated Mr Rudd slams the tableand uses four-letter curses, was embarrassing but his frustration was directed at himself and no one else.
The video surfaced on YouTube on Saturday evening and quickly found its way into a variety of national and international media.
It comes amid a period of intense leadership speculation over Mr Rudd and Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who replaced him as leader in June 2010.
"Anyone who's got a touch of suspicion about them would say that if this was done, somewhat embarrassingly, a couple of years ago, and it suddenly emerges now, then obviously it's a little bit on the unusual side," Mr Rudd told Sky News.
"But the bottom line here is, I accept responsibility for what occurred. I'm not about to point the finger at others."
He said the video was from one of a number of speeches he recorded from time to time for Chinese community occasions, and was probably done in a reception room next to the prime minister's office "a couple of years ago".
