UN Angrily Hits Back At US “interference”

The United Nations reacted sharply to the revelation that Hillary Clinton ordered staff to glean highly personal information on its senior officials.

A classified directive to US diplomats sent on behalf of Mrs Clinton, the US Secretary of State, in July 2009 sought intelligence on the Secretary General and the ambassadors of the other permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, China, Russia and France.

Classified “S/NF”, or “Secret/No Foreign”, the cable requested information on Mr Ban’s “management and decision-making style and his influence on the secretariat” and asked for credit card numbers, email addresses, telephone, fax and pager numbers and even frequent-flyer account numbers for UN officials. Passwords and personal encryption keys used in private and commercial networks for official communications were also requested, while one cable to New York signed by Mrs Clinton sought “biographic and biometric information on ranking North Korean diplomats”.
Steven Vanackere, the Belgian foreign minister, criticised Washington for the “mixing of diplomatic work and outright espionage”. “This goes too far.”

PJ Crowley, the State Department spokesman, played down the spying allegations.

“Our (US) diplomats are just that, diplomats. They collect information that shapes our policies and actions. This is what diplomats, from our country and other countries, have done for hundreds of years.”

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