UN bugging scandal widens

UN bugging scandal widens ^ | Friday, 27 February, 2004, 09:49 GMT | BBC News

[SunkenCiv]

UN bugging scandal widens
BBC
Friday, 27 February, 2004

The former UN chief weapons inspector in Iraq, Richard Butler, says his phone calls at the United Nations were bugged during his tenure from 1997 to 1999... Mr Butler said he was bugged by the Americans, British, French and Russians... He said that if he needed to make a private call to his contacts, he would leave the UN building in New York and either go to a busy cafe or walk in Central Park. Meanwhile ABC reporter Andrew Fowler said he had been told by Australian intelligence contacts that Hans Blix - the UN's most recent weapons inspector in Iraq - was also tapped... [F]ormer UK cabinet minister Clare Short... denied putting the UK or its security services at risk by her revelations, and accused the prime minister of using "pompous" distraction tactics.

[pau1f0rd]

Things are getting hotter

SHORT REFUSES TO LIE DOWN
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13003945,00.html

Former Cabinet Minister Clare Short has launched a blistering attack on Britain's top civil servant Andrew Turnball.


In a letter, he told her not to give any more interviews about alleged bugging at the United Nations.

Ms Short said Mr Turnball, the Cabinet Secretary, had allowed Britain to "rush into war" against Iraq without proper checks.

She said there was no "defence and overseas policy meeting, looking at all the military options and the diplomatic options and political options".

Earlier, it was claimed that the Birmingham MP had vowed to bring down Tony Blair if she was forced out of the Government.

Her former deputy at the International Development department, George Foulkes, made the claim in a newspaper article.

Mr Blair, meanwhile, is steeling himself for more criticism as Ms Short says she will write a book about her time in government.

Senior Labour figures have indicated she will not be expelled from the party for saying British agents spied on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

But there is growing resentment of her behaviour.

Ms Short insists she is not mounting a personal campaign to bring down the Prime Minister, although she has renewed her demands for him to resign.

She told The Sunday Telegraph: "I haven't got any personal vendetta against Blair but I think what he did in the series of deceits and the rush to war was indefensible."

[G.Mason]

With a mouth like that, Small [sic] should have been in big demand when she was young.

[SunkenCiv]

Short insists she is not mounting a personal campaign to bring down the Prime Minister, although she has renewed her demands for him to resign.

I guess it depends on what her definition of "is" is. ;')

[SunkenCiv]

Interestingly enough, but not surprisingly, there were op-ed pieces in France condemning the UK taps, but apparently not mentioning the French and Russian taps.

[G.Mason]

"Interestingly enough, but not surprisingly, there were op-ed pieces in France condemning the UK taps, but apparently not mentioning the French and Russian taps."

(putting on tin foil hat) ... Perhaps our intellegence (reads spy network) isn't as bad or "inept" as we have made out.

Maybe, just maybe, we know about these WMD's and what country they are in.

Perhaps, as we speak, negotiations are, or have been underway with that country / countries for their return with some kind of face saving excuse to keep the Arabs from blushing.

Hey ... A mans gotta dream whata mans gotta dream