“SmartPower” according to Team Obama
November 30, 2010 Leave a Comment
US embassy cables: UN seeks answers from Washington
The senior American diplomat at the UN tonight defended her team after WikiLeaks disclosed a US spying operation targeting the UN’s secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, and members of the security council.
Susan Rice, the US ambassador appointed to the UN by Barack Obama last year, appeared uncomfortable and, at times, exasperated as she took questions from the media at the UN today.
She denied US diplomats were engaged in spying. “Let me be very clear: our diplomats are just that,” she said. “They are diplomats. That is what they do every day. They get out and work with partners here at the UN and around the world.”
Rice was questioned about a leaked US cable showing diplomats were asked to find personal financial details about the UN leadership, including credit card information, passwords for their communications systems and frequent-flier membership. Ban’s office hit back at the US with a warning that any violation of UN “immunity” may breach international law.
