Senators accuse Annan of impeding investigation
By Judith Miller
The New York Times
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Leaders of a U.S. subcommittee investigating allegations of fraud in the oil-for-food program in Iraq have accused the United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, of obstructing their inquiry.
In a letter sent to Annan on Tuesday, the leaders, the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asserted that Annan and a panel he appointed to investigate the charges of abuse independently appeared to be "affirmatively preventing" the U.S. Senate from getting documents from a former UN contractor that inspected goods bought by Iraq.
The senators also said Annan was blocking access to 55 internal audit reports of the program and other relevant documents and refusing to permit UN officials to be interviewed by the subcommittee's investigators...
...
...In a letter dated Aug. 31, the director of the UN legal affairs office told Lloyd's that while it should cooperate fully with Volcker's panel, "under no circumstances" was it authorized to provide documents to the Senate.
Whole Story
By Judith Miller
The New York Times
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Leaders of a U.S. subcommittee investigating allegations of fraud in the oil-for-food program in Iraq have accused the United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, of obstructing their inquiry.
In a letter sent to Annan on Tuesday, the leaders, the top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asserted that Annan and a panel he appointed to investigate the charges of abuse independently appeared to be "affirmatively preventing" the U.S. Senate from getting documents from a former UN contractor that inspected goods bought by Iraq.
The senators also said Annan was blocking access to 55 internal audit reports of the program and other relevant documents and refusing to permit UN officials to be interviewed by the subcommittee's investigators...
...
...In a letter dated Aug. 31, the director of the UN legal affairs office told Lloyd's that while it should cooperate fully with Volcker's panel, "under no circumstances" was it authorized to provide documents to the Senate.
Whole Story
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