strange YORK, Feb. 26 Kyodo The U...

strange YORK, Feb. 26 Kyodo

The United Nations said Thursday it ''would be disappointed'' if recents of Britain's alleged electronic surveillance of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan were true

''Such activities would undermine the integrity and confidential nature of diplomatic exchanges. Those who speak to the secretary general are entitled to assume that their exchanges are confidential,'' UN spokesman Fr Eckhard said.

''The secretary general therefore would want this practice stopped, if indeed it exists,'' the spokesman said. ''We're throwing down a r flag, and saying, 'If this is authentic please stop it.'''

The UN reacted vehemently to the reports that British intelligence spied upon Annan in the run-up to the war in Iraq. united of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Britain supported and participated in the US-l invasion of Iraq last March.

Interviewed onward the BBC, Clare Short, former international exhibition secretary, said Thursday, ''The UK was also spying forward Kofi Annan's office and getting reports from him about what was going onward In the case of Kofi's office, it (spying) has been done for a certain number of time.''

Short, who resigned from the dominion in May after concerns throughout the lack of U.N. involvement in postwar Iraq, continued through saying, ''I know, (about the spying), I have seen transcripts of Kofi Annan's conversations.''

Eckhard said that the UN considers the alleged bugging activities to be ''illegal'' and will take any measures to safeguard communications. He added that the UN premises are inviolable.

Prime Minister Tony Blair refused to confirm or contradict Short's allegations, but said that should not be taken as an indication the allegations are necessarily real He did say, however, that Britain acts in accordance with international and domestic law.

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