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	Short allegations
	Iraq
	Published: 26-Feb-2004 By: Channel 4 News
	The former government minister Clare Short has said that Britain spied on the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, in the run-up to the Iraq war.
	Ms Short made the claim in an interview on the collapse of the Official Secrets Act trial against the GCHQ whistleblower, Katharine Gun. Yesterday, the Government dropped its prosecution of Mrs Gun, who had leaked a memo suggesting US intelligence was seeking British support for the bugging of fellow members of the United Nations security council. Clare Short's never frightened to say what she thinks - this morning addressing a conference on the legality of war in Iraq. But she's now questioned the legality of Britains actions alleging that British spies bugged the offices of the United nations Secretary General Kofi Anaan in the run up to the Iraq war. The UN and its Secretary General were at the centre of the political struggle in the run -up to the Iraq war as America and Britain desperately tried to secure a second UN resolution authorising military action. Clare Short's allegations - if true - are deeply embarrassing for the Government of which she used to be a member - Downing Street issued a statement saying: "Our intelligence and security agencies act in accordance with national and international law at all times." But the opposition say there are serious questions to be answered. It was the collapse of the prosecution of Katharine Gun yesterday for breaking the official secrets act that prompted Clare Shorts comments this morning. Ms Gun had leaked an email revealing American plans to bug key countries at the UN who were crucial to the vote on Iraq. Your Views: We asked you if you thought Clare Short was right to say what she said. We've received hundreds of emails and texts on this topic. Some of them are shown below. She is self-indulgent and vengeful. If Cabinet Ministers start behaving so irresponsibly, serious government will become impossible. Colin Angwin, London You asked for opinions. Here's one from Poland. Claire Short is absolutely right to say what she says. Never have I believed in the honesty of what a politician says the way that I believe in her honesty in her interview today with Jon Snow (Nice tie, adds my Polish wife). She is absolutely right to publicise what so many of us have always believed. I take back every word of criticism, including those I e-mailed to her as she seemed to dither before the war. She has thought carefully about her obligations to formal pledges of secrecy and to the people she has represented and felt it her duty to defend. We should all salute her, as we should salute Katherine Gun, for making the right decision. Blair is either a fool or a knave and the more evidence we see, the more we must conclude the latter. His successor if he/she has any sense will build his own credibility by bringing Claire Short (and Robin Cook) back into government. John Presland, Warsaw Clare Short should never have been made a member of the Government. She was a sop to the left of the Labour Party who are committed to the removal of Tony Blair. Their commitment to get rid of him overrides everything else and they will say anything to achieve their aims. They are parasitic freeloaders, unelectable on their own merits, frustrated by their lack of success and prepared to sacrifice everyone and everything on the altar to their egoism. War always divides a nation, even when it is in defence of invasion there are those who would prefer surrender to killing, and now that point of view is being given prominence by the media. What will be broadcast next, documentaries speculating how better life might have been under the Nazis or Communist Russia? We now know that Churchill faced such proposals within his cabinet and there were many people, some within the Labour Party now, who took Russia's side against the USA. The name usually given to these people is Fifth Columnists and they are working within the Labour Party and I believe the BBC. It is time to challenge them and challenge their motives in greater depth than has been done up to now. Roy Baker from Ealing, London Yes Clare Short was right. This needs to be seen in the context of a whole series of scandals to have engulfed the government as a result of the war; the scandal of taking part in this unnecessary, unprovoked and illegal war in the first place. The scandal that the intelligence used to ‘justify’ it now appears to have been false all along. The scandals of the treatment of Dr David Kelly and the subsequent Hutton whitewash; of Guantamano Bay; of our soldiers not being properly equipped; of the humanitarian and law & order crisis Iraq has since been plunged into and the coalition’s failure to foresee these problems. And to think, all of this could have been avoided if only Tony Blair had the guts to say ‘no’ to the American President. Ian Taylor, Farnham Common Yes of course she is right. This is an honourable woman. Blair and Bush have ignored their people 4 2 long, and they are the irresponsible. Its disgusting that more people do not have the admirable qualities displayed by Miss Gunn and Claire Short. Sadly, such humanity is rare there days. Text messages: Claire Short is a threat to the government, not to the national security CLARE SHORT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOSE CANON TONY BLAIR SHOULD HAVE GOT RID OF HER LONG AGO DISGUSTED PRESTON Clare Short supported the war against Iraq! B Jeffkins RAINHAM KENT CLARE SHORT FOR PRIME MINISTER... TONY IS A BUG THAT NEEDS SWATTING. AND WHY DOESNT THE PUBLIC HAVE THE RIGHT TO KNOW? BLAIR IS A THREAT TO THE WORLD. The public needs to be made aware of the lengths that the U.S. and British govt. will go to further our imperial agenda. Well done Clare. Barry, Sidcup

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