SECRETARY-GENERAL REPLIES TO 'WASHINGTON POST' STORY ON UNSCOM ASSISTING UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE EFFORTS IN IRAQ
Press Release
SG/SM/6858
IK/270
SECRETARY-GENERAL REPLIES TO 'WASHINGTON POST' STORY ON UNSCOM ASSISTING UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE EFFORTS IN IRAQ
19990106 Kofi Annan Rejects Characterization of His State of Mind By 'So-Called Confidants' That He Is 'Convinced of Things', 'Aware of Facts'The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for Secretary- General Kofi Annan:
All of you have seen The Washington Post story of today saying that the Secretary-General is suspicious that the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) assisted United States intelligence efforts in Iraq.
Let me first remind you that the Secretary-General has no operational oversight responsibility for the Special Commission -- that is the Security Council's job, because UNSCOM is a subsidiary body of the Council. He, therefore, has little detailed information on day-to-day operations.
The Secretary-General has, however, been aware for some weeks that a number of journalists have been pursuing this story. When he first heard of these allegations, he asked UNSCOM's Executive Chairman, Richard Butler, about them. Ambassador Butler categorically denied them.
We not only have no convincing evidence of these allegations; we have no evidence of any kind. We have only rumours. Neither the Secretary-General nor any member of his staff has access to classified United States' intelligence, although UNSCOM does.
The Secretary-General, therefore, rejects the characterization of his state of mind attributed to so-called "confidants", such as that he is convinced of things, aware of facts, and so on.
Obviously, were these charges true, it would be damaging to the United Nations disarmament work in Iraq and elsewhere.
Finally, The Washington Post says that the Secretary-General is trying to pressure Richard Butler to resign. THIS IS NOT SO. In any case, the issue is not the Executive Chairman; it is how to get on with the work of disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction.
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