|
U.N. denies conflict in appointment
 The United Nations on Monday denied a conflict of interest in awarding its top environmental position to a man who had served on a panel that gave Secretary-General Kofi Annan a $500,000 prize. Achim Steiner, a highly respected environmental advocate, was a judge for the $500,000 Zayed International Prize for the Environment, which Annan won in December. Annan nominated Steiner as chief of the U.N. Environment Program in March.| *Retch* Follow the above link ^ to LGF's archive on Shaeikh Zayed... |
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Annan had been aware of Steiner's role on the Zayed jury - which was never a secret - and believed he was the best candidate. "Mr. Steiner was appointed after a long and exhaustive search," Dujarric said. "We were aware of all the facts and the secretary-general still felt that he was the best person to lead the organization." Questions about a possible conflict of interest were first reported Saturday in The Financial Times. Steiner had not tried to hide his involvement in the Zayed award, which was listed on the prize's Web site.
Posted by: Fred 2006-05-02 |
