Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=3/29/2004

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=U-N OFFICIAL FIRED (L-O)

NUMBER=2-314581

BYLINE=PETER HEINLEIN

DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: U-N Secretary General Kofi Annan has fired his security chief over last August's bombing of the U-N offices in Baghdad. From U-N headquarters in New York, Peter Heinlein reports Mr. Annan took disciplinary action against several other employees, but refused to accept his deputy's resignation.

TEXT: Mr. Annan announced disciplinary measures Monday against those responsible for security of U-N personnel in Iraq. He fired global security chief Tun Myat of Burma, and ordered Ramiro Lopez da Silva of Portugal, who was second in command at the Baghdad headquarters, be demoted and reassigned to another post with no security duties.

/// OPT ///Mr. Lopes da Silva had held the title Assistant Secretary General. /// END OPT ///

The actions are based on conclusions of an expert panel that examined the issue of accountability for security lapses that contributed to the high death toll in the Baghdad attack. The August 19th bombing killed 22 people, including Mr. Annan's top envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

The report concluded that security officials appeared to have been blinded by the conviction that U-N personnel and installations would not become a target of attack, despite clear warnings to the contrary.

Two other U-N administrators came in for especially harsh criticism. U-N spokesman Fred Eckhard says the two, Boulos Paul Afhadjanian of Jordan and Pa Momodou Sinyan of Gambia, are being charged with dereliction of duty for failing to act to have protective film put on windows at the Baghdad headquarters facility.

/// ECKHARD ACT ///

These two officers displayed profound lack of responsibility and ineptitude in the manner they sought to implement the request for installation of the film. Their combined response indicates a lethargy that is bordering on gross negligence.

/// END ACT ///

Investigators said as many as 90-percent of the deaths in the Baghdad headquarters bombing were due to injuries caused by flying glass.

Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette of Canada also submitted her resignation to accept responsibility for the security failures. Ms. Frechette is chairperson of the U-N Steering Group on Iraq.

Secretary General Annan refused to accept Ms. Frechette's resignation, but instead sent a letter to all members of the steering group expressing disappointment with their collective failure to address security needs.

A spokesman for the U-N employees union said he was surprised at how light the punishments were, considering the security failures had contributed to the deaths of 22 people. Union vice-president Guy Candusso pointed out that those being disciplined would be allowed to retire with full pensions, and said "they should still have to answer for their roles." (SIGNED)

NEB/NYC/PFH/KL