Annan Loses Cool Over Mystery car
David Nason
Australian
________
UN, New York (US):
Kofi Annan has capped an inglorious 12 months for the UN with an extraordinary attack on a senior British journalist at an end-of-year press conference in New York.
Annsn lashed out at James Bone, a UN correspondent for The Times. Bone had tried to ask the Secretary-General a question about the whereabouts of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle bought by Mr Annan's son Kojo and shipped to Ghana with the benefit of UN tax exemptions.
But an angry Mr Annan accused Bone of behaving like an "overgrown schoolboy". He then questioned the reporter's professional standards and, as he has done for months, refused to address the issue of the mysterious Mercedes.
"You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession," Mr Annan told Bone. "Please stop misbehaving, and please let's move on to a more serious subject."
Mr Annan's tirade came just minutes after he said a thick skin and a sense of humour were essential character traits for any future secretary-general.
Dec 23, 2005
David NasonAustralian
________
UN, New York (US):
Kofi Annan has capped an inglorious 12 months for the UN with an extraordinary attack on a senior British journalist at an end-of-year press conference in New York.
Annsn lashed out at James Bone, a UN correspondent for The Times. Bone had tried to ask the Secretary-General a question about the whereabouts of a Mercedes-Benz vehicle bought by Mr Annan's son Kojo and shipped to Ghana with the benefit of UN tax exemptions.
But an angry Mr Annan accused Bone of behaving like an "overgrown schoolboy". He then questioned the reporter's professional standards and, as he has done for months, refused to address the issue of the mysterious Mercedes.
"You are an embarrassment to your colleagues and to your profession," Mr Annan told Bone. "Please stop misbehaving, and please let's move on to a more serious subject."
Mr Annan's tirade came just minutes after he said a thick skin and a sense of humour were essential character traits for any future secretary-general.
Dec 23, 2005
