Despite the bashing he received from the independent report into the oil-for-food program, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has vowed not to resign. His rejection of calls for his resignation by US legislators is coming as France and United Kingdom declared support for his continued stay in office.
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In the aftermath of the report which was made public during the week, Annan admitted personal responsibility for the program's failures but failed to comment on calls that he should resign.
The 860-page report prepared by an independent committe headed by former U.S. Federal Reserve board chairperson Paul Volcker, found evidence of "illicit, unethical and corrupt" behaviour during the $64 billion program and blamed the secretary general for mismanagement.
However, Annan who said he saw no reason to resign, yesterday, noted, ""I don't anticipate anyone to resign. We are carrying on with our work."
Earlier on Wednesday Annan had described the report as "deeply embarrassing" and as one which unearthed 'unsightly' facts about the UN.
"The report is critical of me personally, and I accept its criticism," Annan told the Security Council on Wednesday after receiving the report which the committee worked on for 18 months.
"The inquiry committee has ripped away the curtain, and shone a harsh light into the most unsightly corners of the organization. None of us -- member states, secretariat, agencies, funds and programmes -- can be proud of what it has found," Annan said.
Annan also admitted that he was "not diligent or effective enough" in pursuing a probe after he became aware that the Swiss company Cotecna that employed his son Kojo had won a large contract under the oil-for-food programme. "I deeply regret that," he said.
The report, which was delivered to the UN Security Council on Wednesday, alleged corruption at the highest level of the UN and blamed the Annan management for allowing former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to corrupt the operation for personal gain. The report says that the Iraqi leader amassed $1.7 billion in kickbacks from companies in the program and $11 billion from smuggling oil. The committee also indicted Annan's son Kojo.
He was said to have exploited his father's diplomatic status to save more than $20,000 on a Mercedes-Benz SUV, by receiving a "diplomatic discount" and avoiding import duties when he shipped the car to his home country, Ghana.
The report suggests that the secretary-general assisted his son, citing a note that Annan's secretary left for him saying that Kojo had asked for a U.N. letter stating the car was for Annan's use.
"Our assignment has been to look for maladministration in the oil-for-food programme and for evidence of corruption within the UN organization. Unhappily we found both,"said Volcker.
Meanwhile, both the UK and France have offered 'firm support'to Annan in the wake of the report. Yesterday, British foreign secretary Jack Straw said the highly-critical report did not alter the UK's 'very high regard'for him. Straw said though he welcomed the report by the Volcker committee Annan could rely on British support to drive through UN reform at next week's summit of global leaders in New York. "(The report) sets out recommendations to correct the shortcomings in the UN system...Kofi Annan has already been instrumental in pushing forward that debate in the UN. I firmly support his efforts," Straw said.
French Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne said, "France is eager to reaffirm its support for and confidence in Kofi Annan. The report does note that the program allowed the Iraqi population to avoid a humanitarian crisis. But it also underlines the major malfunctions which took place in the program. It makes clear the primary blame lies with Saddam Hussein."
She said the UN had the responsibility to supervise the operation of the program. "The report concludes that all members of the Security Council had a share of responsibility. We must now draw the conclusions from the report, notably concerning the need to reinforce the efficiency of the UN operation and thereby let the organization fulfill its mission," she said. The oil-for-food program ran from 1996 to 2003. It was set up when Iraq was under economic sanctions during the U.S.-led invasion of the country. The program allowed Baghdad to sell oil in exchange for food and health care for its people.
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