UN Staff, Africans Rally Around Embattled Annan

[Helga Scow Stern]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=295612

snip--
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Thousands of U.N. staff as well as African nations rallied on Wednesday around U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, wounded by U.S. allegations that he allowed corruption in the now-defunct Iraq oil-for-food program.

On a U.N. internal e-mail system, started two days ago, some 3,000 staff have so far have signed on to a letter saying many of the accusations leveled against the world body were "made without full knowledge of the facts."

"More than ever, we support the secretary-general in his balanced, fair and substantive approach," the letter said.

One of the letter's originators, Georg Kell, executive head of the Global Compact Office, which engages business leaders, said the e-mail reached more than 8,000 staff in New York, Geneva and elsewhere and responses were flooding in.

African countries at the United Nations have also sent a letter to Annan saying media reports were biased and pledged to support him.
--snip

snip--
The younger Annan worked in West Africa, not in Iraq. U.N. officials say the secretary-general had nothing to do with the contract going to Cotecna in 1999, but Kojo Annan's full relationship with the firm was not revealed until last week.

Officials also say that U.N. staff that awarded the contract did not know at the time that the younger Annan, then a trainee, worked for Cotecna.
--snip

[0007]

1. The United States is winning the hearts and minds world wide!

We will soon be the biggest pariah on this planet.

[LongTomH]

2. When will we know?

The horrifying is......that this is exactly what the (mal)administration and the dysfunctional media will be telling the masses. How do we get through to them that: (a) we are pissing off the rest of the world, and (b) it really does matter!:scared:

[maddezmom]

3. dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1037647