For Immediate Release
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
U.S. Spying at the UN
WASHINGTON - Reuters reports that UN Ambassador Susan Rice said Monday: "Let me be very clear -- our diplomats are just that, they're diplomats." Reuters noted that "Rice declined to comment on the details of the cables."
KATHARINE GUN
Available for a limited number of interviews, Gun is a former British government employee who faced two years imprisonment in England for leaking a U.S. intelligence memo before the invasion of Iraq. The memo indicated that the U.S. had mounted a spying "surge" against U.N. Security Council delegations in early 2003 in an effort to win approval for an Iraq war resolution. The leaked memo -- published by the British newspaper The Observer on March 2, 2003 -- was big news in parts of the world, but almost ignored in the United States. The U.S. government then failed to obtain a U.N. resolution approving war, but still proceeded with the invasion.
Gun said today: "The U.S. and British governments were claiming that they were not wanting war. I had access to a secret document that showed that they were in effect attempting to blackmail other U.N. members into voting for a second resolution that would approve war. The public deserved to know the truth about what their governments were doing. I wanted to prevent the deaths that would -- and sadly, did -- result from an invasion of Iraq." More information on Gun's case is at accuracy.org/gun.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
At Stake?
An existential threat to our democracy. A global pandemic. An unprecedented economic crisis. Our journalism has never been more needed.
Can you pitch in today and help us make our Fall Campaign goal of $80,000 by November 2nd?
Please select a donation method:
JAMES PAUL
Paul is executive director of the Global Policy Forum, a think tank focusing on the UN. He said today: "The WikiLeaks cables present us with the raw arrogance of power by the United States at the UN. We learn about diplomats’ responsibility for incredibly intrusive information collection directed at the Secretary General and his executive office, the Secretariat, Security Council members and diplomatic missions more generally, including everything from credit card numbers to biometric data.
"For U.S. diplomats to comply with the directives of Secretary of State Clinton, it’s hard to imagine that they have any time left over for ordinary diplomacy! There has been ample prior evidence of U.S. espionage and pressure on the UN and the diplomatic community, but this goes off the chart. It is utterly mafia-like, ruthless, and disgusting."
Background: See Colum Lynch piece "WikiLeaks reveals vast U.S. information-gathering operation at the UN"
This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.
Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.
Please select a donation method:
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
