Blair backs Annan over oil-for-food scandal
The Prime Minister has thrown his weight behind beleaguered Secretary General of the United Nations as Kofi Annan faces stringent criticism over the UN oil-for-food scandal in Iraq.
“I believe Kofi Annan is doing a fine job as United Nations Secretary-General, often in very difficult circumstances,” Tony Blair told a news conference on Monday at Downing Street after talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
“I have had occasion to be grateful for his leadership on many occasions and I very much hope he is allowed to get on with his job,” Mr Blair said.
He added that recent criticism of Mr Annan had been “unfair” and the Nobel Prize winner was doing a “fine” job.
His comments come after US President Bush last week called for a “full and open” account of the apparent mishandling of the $64 billion (33 billion pound) UN programme.
Norm Coleman, head of a Senate committee probing the alleged multibillion dollar fraud, has publicly called for Mr Annan’s resignation.
Mr Coleman said Mr Annan should resign given “the most extensive fraud in the history of the UN occurred on his watch”.
The programme – which allowed Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to sell oil to buy goods purportedly to better the lives of ordinary Iraqis – was administered by the UN and supervised by the 15-nation Security Council.
It is alleged Saddam misappropriated 11 billion pounds from the programme.
Mr Annan’s son Kojo, who worked in West Africa for Swiss firm, Cotecna, which inspected goods under the initiative, is thought to received seven years worth of payments from the firm, despite having little connection to the programme.
Mr Annan has also been accused of failing to scrutinise accusations of cronyism and sexual harassment against the UN’s internal watchdog.
Britain, France, China and Russia, came out in support of Mr Annan last week.
