Annan Aide to Respond to Critical Report (Mark Malloch Brown)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/8/05 | Edith M. Lederer - AP

[NormsRevenge]

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites)'s new chief of staff heads to Washington on Wednesday to meet with critics and supporters of the United Nations (news - web sites) following a critical report of U.N. actions in the oil-for-food program in Iraq (news - web sites).

Mark Malloch Brown's high-profile trip is aimed at informing U.S. lawmakers about ongoing U.N. management and administrative reforms and appears to be the opening salvo in a new offensive by Annan to present the world body in a more positive light.

One of the U.S. lawmakers Malloch Brown is scheduled to meet is Sen. Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record). The Minnesota Republican is leading one U.S. probe into alleged oil-for-food wrongdoing and called for Annan's resignation in November, charging that Annan had presided over the "greatest fraud and theft" in the history of the United Nations.

Malloch Brown will also meet Sen. Carl Levin (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, the top Democrat on the Coleman's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, who said he had seen no evidence of impropriety by Annan. Levin has called for fresh efforts to "increase transparency, strengthen oversight and build a culture of accountability in the United Nations."

U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said Malloch Brown's trip is a follow-up to last week's interim report on the program by an investigating team led by former U.S. Federal Reserve (news - web sites) Chairman Paul Volcker.

His report accused Benon Sevan, head of the $64 billion oil-for-food program, of conflicts of interest in soliciting oil allocations from Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime and Joseph Stephanides, who dealt with contracts, of tainting the bidding process. It criticized U.N. management and politicization of the program.

Eckhard said Malloch Brown would "report to the U.S. lawmakers what the United Nations has done in recent years to reform its administrative and management processes."

"It is basically an informational briefing on his part to make them aware of what we have done and what may yet remain to be done as a result of reading Volker's report," the U.N. spokesman said.

Malloch Brown is also scheduled to meet Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who heads the House International Relations Committee and has criticized U.N. failures to responsibly administer the program, and Tom Lantos of California, the committee's top Democrat. Lantos has expressed confidence in Annan but predicted the world body will have to clean house over the oil-for-food allegations.

California Republican Dana Rohrabacher, who will chair a new House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that will oversee U.S. international activities including U.N. matters, is also on Malloch Brown's schedule, along with the subcommittee's top Democrat, William Delahunt of Massachusetts.

Eckhard said Annan always tries to see members of Congress when he's in Washington.

"He's tried to draw parliamentarians closer to the United Nations generally, that's also been one of his planks of reform, " Eckhard said.

But sending his chief of staff is new.

Malloch Brown, who also still heads the U.N. Development Program, knows Washington well from his years at the World Bank (news - web sites), where he headed the public relations department before coming to the United Nations.

[snowman1]

Here we go another SNOWJOB and congress will swollow it hook line and sinker.

[Once-Ler]

Sen. Norm Coleman. The Minnesota Republican is leading one U.S. probe into alleged oil-for-food wrongdoing and called for Annan's resignation in November, charging that Annan had presided over the "greatest fraud and theft" in the history of the United Nations.

Annen would resign if he wasn't a crook.

[RobertMorrow]

Go to: http://www.getusout.org/un/index.html . Then go lobby at http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm .
The United Nations is a corrupt disgrace and it is time for the USA to WITHDRAW from and defund the United Nations. Please tell your senators, congressmen and everyone you know to support Representative Ron Paul’s bill H.R. 1146 which would WITHDRAW the USA from the United Nations, prohibit US funds going to the UN and prohibit US troops serving under UN command. H.R 1146 is the American Sovereignty Restoration Act.