02-27-2004, 06:37 AM
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Confirmed User
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Bangkok
Posts: 2,436
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Quote:
Originally posted by allanuk
Reaction to Short 'bugging' claim
Here is reaction to ex-minister Clare Short's claims that Britain spied on UN General Secretary Kofi Annan:
Former MI5 officer David Shayler, who was jailed for breaching the Official Secrets Act:
Said the revelation could lead to a breakdown in trust with Britain's allies and even if it was not technically illegal to bug Mr Annan, it was "unethical".
"Certainly you can invade the privacy of people suspected of carrying out terrorism and crime, but can you really justify invading the privacy of somebody who is involved in diplomacy?" he told BBC News 24.
Hassen Fodha, the UN director in Brussels:
"The UN works in full transparency. There is no need to spy or to go through secret channels."
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner:
Said many UN officials always worked on the basis that they were being bugged.
But he added: "That is not to say that it is acceptable if they are not suspected of terrorism or other crimes."
Former United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali:
Said he was unsurprised by Ms Short's comments.
He told BBC News 24: "I know that the office of the secretary general has been always bugged and it is a kind of tradition...
"Any country which has the technical capacity to do this will do it. It is unfortunate but this is a reality."
Tory shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram:
Was cautious about reacting to Ms Short's remarks, saying: "I think she should be asked why she's saying this now. I don't know what the truth of this is."
Sir Menzies Campbell, the Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman:
"If these allegations are true, they will do nothing for Britain's already tarnished reputation at the UN."
Donald Anderson, chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee:
Said "even talking about what passed over" Ms Short's desk "is wholly wrong in principle".
"That clearly raises questions about fitness for office in the first place," he added.
Former Scotland secretary Helen Liddell:
Said Ms Short had "not been able to substantiate any of the allegations" she had made.
Like every Cabinet minister, Ms Short had had a "debt of honour" to her colleagues and her country.
"I'm not awfully sure that Clare has honoured it today ...
"I think a period of silence might be acceptable from Clare at the moment. There's been a pattern of behaviour from Clare that all of us find increasingly difficult to comprehend. I hope she regrets what she said this morning."
Barry Hugill, spokesman for the civil rights group Liberty:
Said Ms Short's comments did not come "as a great surprise", but technically she had breached the Official Secrets Act by revealing evidence of the activities of British intelligence services..
"It is very difficult to understand how this sort of bug can in any way whatsoever help defend the national security of the United Kingdom.
"There are clearly questions to be answered.
"If the government were as foolish as to try and prosecute Clare Short, Liberty would certainly act in her defence."
Veteran Labour MP Tam Dalyell:
"When I heard Clare Short on the radio this morning, my jaw dropped into my porridge.
"The next step is for the prime minister to tell us candidly whether his former Cabinet Minister, who he kept in his Cabinet for a long time, is reporting accurately or inaccurately.
"If it is true that Britain spied on the United Nations secretary general, the consequences are galvanic."
Former intelligence officer Charles Shoebridge:
Told BBC News Online: "On the face of it, Clare Short appears to have committed an offence under Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act. Presumably, she is as just as liable to being charged as Katharine Gun?
"This has great ramifications because if she is arrested and charged, that would be incredibly damaging for the government.
"However, if she is not prosecuted her admissions throw down the gauntlet for the future of the Official Secrets Act."
George Foulkes, Ms Short's former deputy at the Department for International Development:
Told Channel 4 News: "This is the latest outburst from Clare. There has been a pattern since she ceased being a minister of constant attacks on the Labour Government and particularly on Tony Blair.
"She has got a clear political agenda here and this is just the latest part of it."
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did you even read all that yourself? |
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