A report investigating conflicts of interest in the United Nations oil-for-food programme for Iraq is due to be presented today. US newspaper the Wall Street Journal says the report is critical of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Mr Annan reportedly failed to correct organizational problems within the UN which allowed the problems within the oil-for-food programme to continue.

The Secretary-General also faces accusations of not doing enough to avoid a conflict of interests with his son, Kojo Annan, who worked as an advisor to a Swiss company which won lucrative a UN contract in Iraq.

The report is expected to weaken the UN Secretary-General's position. He is currently serving a second term which expires at the end of next year and has already said he does not wish to stand for a third term.

(rnw.nl)

It was found that his son deliberately deceived him over continuing links with this oil for food firm and Kofi had no knowledge of it.

He was heavily criticised for his handling of the affair and subsequent investigation however.

Regardless, the son's firm was the low bidder on the contract. Some procedural rules were not followed, but that's almost always the case in any bureaucracy -- you may note that Halliburton *STILL* has a no-bid contract for Iraq, in VIOLATION OF LAW. So, Kofi and his sone may be today's whipping boys, but let's maintain some perspective.

They could have saved themselves a world of trouble by simply DISCLOSING the conflict of interest. Works wonders -- ask Cheney.

Trouble is the UN has to answer to the rest of the world, Cheney doesn't. Certainly in the UK we take our conflicts of interests very very seriously (to the extent where I even feel sorry for some politicians [img]graemlins/blush.gif[/img] ) - I'm sure the same is true for Europe. But corruption is all part of the smelly heap that is explicit lobby and interest-based politics.

[ 03-29-2005, 05:55 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]