Blair says Short ‘irresponsible’
Tony Blair appeared to cast doubt on Clare Short’s future as a Labour MP after she accused the UK of bugging the UN Secretary General’s office.
He said he believed her allegations were “completely irresponsible” and regretted the way she had dragged the security services “through the mud”.
“People who put them in the firing line like this, I really do not have a great deal of respect for,” he said.
He was addressing his monthly news conference after Ms Short’s remarks.
Reports
The former international development secretary said she had read transcripts of some of the conversations UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had had in the run up to war with Iraq.
Tony Blair’s response to bugging allegations
“The UK in this time was also getting spies on Kofi Annan’s office and getting reports from him about what was going on,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“These things are done and in the case of Kofi’s office, it was being done for some time.”
Ms Short said she had recalled thinking that people would be able to read transcripts of her own conversations with Mr Annan.
Good job
Asked to confirm if British spies were instructed to carry out operations within the UN on people like Mr Annan, she said: “Yes, absolutely.”
Quizzed about Ms Short’s comments during his monthly meeting with reporters at Downing Street, Mr Blair said he did not have any plans to talk to his ex-minister.
“I also haven’t had an opportunity to consider any questions and issues to do with discipline,” he said.
But pressed further about Ms Short’s future as an MP, Mr Blair said: “These are issues that I will have to reflect upon. This has happened this morning. There will obviously be issues that arise.”
He said “to be fair”, Ms Short had done a good job during her time as international development secretary – a post she quit after the UK went to war with Iraq.
Lives risked
While he would not comment on the work of Britain’s security services, he urged people not to take this as an indication that Ms Short’s allegations were true.
“I really do regard what Clare Short has said this morning as totally irresponsible, and entirely consistent,” he said.
“I am sorry that she has said the things that she’s said, but she must know, and I think everyone knows, you can’t have a situation where people start making allegations like this about our security services.
“It is completely irresponsible … This is a dangerous time for this country and the world.
“We need our security services. We need these people who risk their lives for us to feel confident of the strong support and backing right across the political spectrum for what they do.
“I give them that strong backing – I think they do a fantastic job.
“I really regret the way they have been dragged through the mud over the past few months. It is totally unfair for them …
“People who put them in the firing line like this – I really do not have a great deal of respect for …
“It’s just a pity she’s done what she’s done today because I think it is wrong.”
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/3489826.stm
Published: 2004/02/26 14:47:05 GMT
UN warning over spy allegations
British spies would have undermined the United Nations’ work if it was true they bugged Secretary General Kofi Annan’s office, says a UN spokesman.
Fred Eckhard told reporters Mr Annan wanted the action stopped if it was happening, especially as it would have been illegal.
He spoke out after ex-cabinet minister Clare Short’s claim that the UK had been listening in to Mr Annan’s talks.
Tony Blair said Ms Short’s claims were “deeply irresponsible”.
Mr Blair also appeared to cast doubt on her future as a Labour MP.
Short’s future?
Mr Eckhard said Mr Annan had spoken to the British ambassador to the UN about the bugging claims.
“We want this action to stop if indeed it has been carried out,” he said.
“It undermines the secretary-general’s conduct of business with other leaders. It is therefore not good for the United Nations’ work and it is illegal.”
The UN would be disappointed if the accusations proved to be true, he added.
At his monthly news conference, the prime minister insisted the UK security services acted in accordance with domestic and international law and in the best interests of this country.
Mr Blair said: “I’m not going to comment on the work of our security services – do not take that as an indication that the allegations made by Clare Short are true.
“I really do regard what Clare Short has said this morning as totally irresponsible, and entirely consistent.”
Asked whether she should be prosecuted or face Labour Party discipline Mr Blair said he would “have to reflect upon” her comments.
He added: “There will obviously be issues that arise … I am not in a position to answer them at the moment.”
‘Dangerous situation’
Ms Short’s comments came the day after the dramatic collapse of the trial of GCHQ whistle-blower Katharine Gun.
She had been accused of leaking a secret e-mail from US spies apparently requesting British help in bugging UN delegates ahead of the Iraq invasion.
The UK in this time was also getting spies on Kofi Annan’s office and getting reports from him about what was going on
Clare Short
Listen to the full Today programme interview
The government says it will review whether changes are needed to the Official Secrets Act in the wake of the case.
But it has denied claims the move to drop the prosecution was politically motivated.
There has been speculation ministers were worried about the disclosure of secret documents during the trial, particularly the advice from Attorney General Lord Goldsmith about the legality of war.
Lord Goldsmith said in a statement to the House of Lords: “It was a decision on solely legal grounds … and free from any political interference.”
Spies there ‘for some time’
He said that although they believed they could prove the Official Secrets Act had been breached, they had concluded they could not disprove Mrs Gun’s defence “of necessity” – believed to refer to her case that she felt a duty to do something to save lives in an unlawful war.
However, Mr Blair said it would be a “very dangerous situation” if people thought they could just “spill out allegations, whether false or true … and get away with it”.
During an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Ms Short said British spies were involved in bugging Mr Annan’s office in the run up to war with Iraq.
“The UK in this time was also getting spies on Kofi Annan’s office and getting reports from him about what was going on,” she said.
“These things are done and in the case of Kofi’s office, it was being done for some time.”
Legal question
Asked if Britain was involved in this, she replied; “Well I know – I’ve seen transcripts of Kofi Annan’s conversations.
Asked to confirm if British spies were instructed to carry out operations within the UN on people like Mr Annan, she said: “Yes, absolutely.”
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said that 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”.
Conservative leader Michael Howard said the situation was “a complete mess”.
“It’s about time the prime minister got a grip on it and sorted it out,” he said.
Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said it was not good enough for Mr Blair to say he could not comment on the security services – especially after publishing intelligence in his Iraq dossiers.
“Tony Blair must now come clean about this central accusation,” he said.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk_politics/3490924.stm
Published: 2004/02/26 17:45:09 GMT
Were the UK and/or the US governments correct in bugging the UN secretary general?
Is Claire Short ‘Irresponsible’ for claiming that the UK government bugged Kofi Annan?
What action should/can the UN take to punish the buggers?(;))
Flood.
By: Flood - 29th February 2004 at 21:45
Originally posted by plawolf
in this day and age, how much ‘tallent’ does a leader really needs to have? all their speaches are drafted for them, all major decisions come abt as a result of weighing up all the proposuls put forward by advisors and choosing the ‘best’ one, even their ‘image’ is created for them. what a good leader needs most of all is to be able to put a face on that political machine that the ppl can trust, and maybe some experience in living and working in this kind of environment. hillery has that.
The way you put it a national leader doesn’t need to have much talent at all. The problem with all the major national leaders around at the moment is that no trusts them, no one really believes them.
Look at Bliar – if there was an election tomorrow would he still be in power the following day? Probably, since there is no one to challenge him, but the percentage of the eligible voters voting would be down in single figures.
Flood.
By: plawolf - 29th February 2004 at 12:43
didnt know u could get a certificate that says ur the best candidate as the next leader of a nation.:rolleyes:
in this day and age, how much ‘tallent’ does a leader really needs to have? all their speaches are drafted for them, all major decisions come abt as a result of weighing up all the proposuls put forward by advisors and choosing the ‘best’ one, even their ‘image’ is created for them. what a good leader needs most of all is to be able to put a face on that political machine that the ppl can trust, and maybe some experience in living and working in this kind of environment. hillery has that.
By: brenmcc1 - 29th February 2004 at 10:36
If only I could be bothered to read that.
By: Arabella-Cox - 29th February 2004 at 00:55
Hahahahaha… it is funny, but I have read a report recently where the british were whining that the new NATO members secret services still have quite strong ties to their to their old allies… in particular Bulgaria and they jumped up and down demanding that so and so was relieved of their post and that it was just not acceptible to spy on an ally…!!!!!!
BTW “if we had someone like hillery clinton or kerry in one of the opposition parties “
Apart from being the victim of adultery what qualifications has Hillary Clinton got… other than pretending she was voted into power along with her husband…
By: plawolf - 27th February 2004 at 15:02
i call it a lack of choice. apart from blair who else even looks like the leader of a nation?:rolleyes:
if we had someone like hillery clinton or kerry in one of the opposition parties blair would be out of office faster then a year 6 out of class at the end of the school term.:rolleyes:
By: duxfordhawk - 27th February 2004 at 13:52
Anyone ever thought that no matter what Tony Blair does somehow he walks away from it?,Thatcher did less crap than him and was in effect sacked by her party,You can’t trust anybody in politics anymore eh.
By: Nermal - 27th February 2004 at 11:10
Originally posted by google
Haha, he called Short irresponsible.
Er, yes. You should have your own cartoon show on MTV…:rolleyes: – Nermal
By: EN830 - 27th February 2004 at 08:50
More of Blair’s paranoia, when will he accept that not everyone likes him.
By: google - 27th February 2004 at 05:23
Haha, he called Short irresponsible.
By: Hand87_5 - 26th February 2004 at 19:17
If this is true , I will be delighted to keep informed about the following 😀
By: plawolf - 26th February 2004 at 19:03
if the claims are true that the UK bugged annan’s office in the UN, then that would have been illegal under international law, and probably a few US domestic laws as well (thats probably why the US ask the UK to do it).:rolleyes:
but no matter who did it, the UN Secretary General would not be too happy with the buggers invading his privacy.;)
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February 26, 2004 at 6:32 pm