http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=10278
UN rejects calls for Annan's resignation UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in January 2004. (UN) UN ISN SECURITY WATCH (02/12/04) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has earned wide supported from several member states and over 2'700 UN staff members, after calls for his resignation by a US right-wing republican, who demanded he step down over allegations of corruption related to the international body's "oil-for-food" program for Iraq. The allegations of corruption, which first surfaced in January, escalated earlier this week when US Senator Norm Coleman, who is leading one of the five US Congressional investigations into the UN oil-for-food program in Iraq, called for Annan's resignation over fraud allegations against his son, Kojo Annan. Coleman's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said it had uncovered evidence that Saddam Hussein's government had raised more than US$21.3 billion in illegal revenue by subverting UN sanctions against, including the oil-for-food program. On Monday, Annan said he was "very disappointed and surprised" that his son had received payments until February 2004 from a firm that had a contract with the oil-for-food program. The Swiss-based firm Cotecna Inspection S.A. said that Kojo Annan had been paid US$2'500 a month to prevent him from working for competitors after he left the company in 1998. Several prominent US newspapers and columnists also called for Annan's resignation. However, UN ambassadors from at least 11 nations - including South Korea, Pakistan, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, South Korea, Turkey, Spain, and Italy - met with Annan yesterday to express their strong support for him. The members of the UN Security Council have also shown their support for the secretary-general, as have the non-council members and the leaders of the 54 African nations, who have sent a letter of support to Annan. US Ambassador to the UN John Danforth was less supportive when he said earlier this week that Washington would not "rush to judgement" before all the facts were in, The Associated Press reported. At the same time, more than 2'700 UN staff members have signed a letter expressing their support for Annan at a time when the organization faces allegations about its integrity. "More than ever, we support the secretary-general in his balanced, fair, and substantive approach," said a letter circulated in recent days through the UN's internal e-mail system. "We also express our determination to continue to improve the workings and effectiveness of this organization. We can make the case for the UN and be resolute, while remaining true to our mission around the world - dedication to peace and development," read the letter. Asked about the secretary-general's response to a "chorus" of voices calling for his resignation, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters "a few voices doesn't constitute a chorus". He said Annan had heard no such call from any UN member state. Eckhard characterized the recent criticisms as part of a "healthy debate", and said that the secretary-general remained committed to going about his work for the remaining two years and one month of his term. Asked to comment on the criticism from Coleman that Annan was not cooperating in the investigation into the oil-for food program, the spokesman said the secretary-general had turned over all documents and made available all staff to the Independent Inquiry Committee headed by former US Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker. The oil-for-food program, which began in 1996, permitted Iraq to sell oil, provided that the revenue went for food, medicine, and other necessities. (By Ekrem Krasniqi in Brussels) ------------------------ Yahoo! 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