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U.S. Wiretaps Undermine Effort to Block ElBaradei Re-Election Effort, Diplomats Say
The Bush administration’s reported monitoring of phone calls made by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei have undermined its efforts to have him replaced, diplomats and analysts said yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 13). “If they wanted to undermine him, they would have had to do it differently,” a European diplomat told Reuters. “It only reinforces ElBaradei.” The IAEA director general himself refused to comment on reports that the White House monitored his telephone conversations with Iranian diplomats. “I won’t talk,” he said yesterday (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, Dec. 13). A White House spokesman yesterday also would not address the wiretapping reports, according to Agence France-Presse. “I’ve seen the reports. And I just don’t get into discussing any of those reports. And that should not be read one way or the other,” said spokesman Scott McClellan. However, McClellan reiterated the Bush administration’s opposition to giving ElBaradei a third term on the grounds that heads of U.N. organizations ought to serve only two terms, Agence France-Presse reported. “We remain committed to the agreement that was reached in Vienna, where heads of United Nations organizations should … serve no more than two terms,” he said. The Geneva group of top 10 contributors to international organizations has held that heads of such agencies should not serve more than two terms, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 13). While some Bush administration officials could not confirm that ElBaradei’s telephone had been bugged, several said they would not be surprised if that had occurred, the New York Times reported. National Security Agency head Lt. Gen. Mike Hayden testified before Congress in August that electronic surveillance was frequently conducted to give “tactical support to State Department negotiators.” Bush administration hard-liners have long criticized ElBaradei’s performance. Others in the administration, however, have said that ElBaradei has served U.S. interests well and might be the best person to negotiate a settlement over Iran’s nuclear program. “There are a lot of views in this administration, but frankly we could do a lot worse,” said one U.S. official (Steven Weisman, New York Times, Dec. 14). ElBaradei has nothing to hide, his spokesman said yesterday, AFP reported. “We work on the assumption that one or more entities may be listening to our conversations,” IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said. “It’s not how we would prefer to work but it is the reality. At the end of the day we have nothing to hide,” he added. Iran accused the United States of violating international law by allegedly listening in on telephone calls between ElBaradei and Iranian diplomats, according to AFP. No secrets were discussed during the conversations, government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh said. “This is not the first time we have seen the United States violate international rules,” he said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 13).
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