UN papers shredded

Kofi Annan is facing calls to resign after a report into his son's links with a company embroiled in the UN's oil-for-food scandal revealed that documents held in the Secretary-General's office were ordered destroyed the day after the Security Council approved an official inquiry.
Isn't this how Enron and Arther Andersen started on downhill trip to oblivion.

The shredding of documents covering the crucial period from 1997 to 1999 -- during which the Swiss company that employed Kojo Annan as a consultant was awarded a lucrative UN contract in Iraq -- was ordered by Kofi Annan's former chief of staff Iqbal Riza last April and continued until December 7. Ten days before the shredding order, Mr Riza had sent the heads of nine UN-related agencies a directive to "take all necessary steps to collect, preserve and secure all files, records and documents ... relating to the oil-for-food program". Mr Riza claimed duplicates of the destroyed documents were held elsewhere.
Future statement from Mr. Riza: Due to a once-in-every-10000-years, burst of solar radiation resulting in a magnetic field disparity on the distant Pegasus galaxy, 25 gazillion billion light years away from Earth, those secure, soft copy, encrypted, duplicates were unfortunately erased. An inquiry and high level meeting of the Security Council will be held.

Paul Volcker, the former US Federal Reserve chairman who led the inquiry, said of the shredding: "Whether that material contained any evidence that we did not otherwise get from UN files more generally is, of course, not known." The new revelations place renewed pressure on Mr Annan, despite Mr Volcker's finding that he did not interfere with a 1998 tender process that resulted in Cotecna Inspections winning a $US10million ($13million) oil-for-food contract to verify shipments of goods into Iraq.
Leave now Kofi, while you still have some dignity.

Mr Annan claimed the findings as a personal victory, telling a packed UN press conference: "After so many distressing and untrue allegations against me, this exoneration by the independent inquiry comes as a great relief."
The truth will hunt you Kofi, you cannot hide.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the US would "continue to support the Secretary-General in his work at the UN".
That's diplomatic talk for, we'll support him as his bags are packed and provide him with an escort out the door.

Asked if the UN would be better off if he resigned, Mr Annan said: "Hell, no. I've got lots of work to do and I'm going to go ahead and do it."
There's the ongoing democratic farce in Zimbabwe, we must take steps to avoid it at all costs. Then there's Sudan, we must send more monitors to document the suffering and genocide, besides they have oil and a need for food, opportunity is knocking.
We can't forget Iraq can we, must keep nagging the US, complain, whine, criticise, call for solidarity and find fault while Sam finishes the job.

Saddam Hussein must receive a fair trial and pressure must be applied to the US Army to issue all US soldiers with field manuals on the Geneva Conventions,
to carry on their person at all times even if ammo or rations have to be left behind (emphasis to be placed on NOT using the manual to wipe your ass). We also need to convene a Security Council delegation to debate and hopefully formulate a clear 300 page definition of Terrorism, to be signed and endorsed by all member states no later than 2099.

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