US Senator Leahy lends support to Annan, says wait for results of UN Oil-for-Food probe

Sen. Patrick Leahy today became the latest member of the United States Congress to lend his support to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who has been buffeted by calls for his resignation in the wake of various allegations of relating to the administration of the UN Oil-for-Food programme for Iraq.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Mr. Annan at UN Headquarters in New York on a range of issues, Senator Leahy said it would be wise to wait for the results of an investigation led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker into the humanitarian operation before making any judgements about the Secretary-General or the United Nations itself.

"I used to be a prosecutor and I used to tell people to wait until the investigation is over," he said. "I have a lot of confidence in Paul Volcker; I think a lot of people in this country do - both Republicans and Democrats. I don't think you're going to find Mr. Volcker doing a report that skirts the issues or sugarcoats anything.

"I would kind of like to see what happens there instead of doing as some have, trying to pre-determine what that's going to be in their legislative actions."

Asked for his reaction to calls from various quarters for Mr. Annan's resignation, the Senator from Vermont noted that both President Bush and the US Ambassador to the UN, John Danforth, recently expressed their support for the Secretary-General.

He added: "I've talked with not only the Secretary of State but the incoming Secretary of State about this. I know that they support the Secretary-General. I do too."

Senator Leahy also stressed the important role of the UN in furthering US interests. "With all it's imperfections, the UN is a lot better than not having the UN, and the United States, with all the concerns it may have about various actions of the UN, is a lot better off being an active member of the UN than not being," he said.

"You always have people who take shots at the UN, some of it legitimate. But I think we ought to take a deep breath. This is not a time to make a political football out of the UN. We need them in the Sudan, we need them throughout parts of Africa, we need them in a lot of peacekeeping areas," he added.

Video of Senator's remarks to press [11mins]