MP Questions Bugging of UN

Neil Gerrard, Labour MP for Walthamstow, has been questioning the Foreign Secretary about the disclosures that British Intelligence was involved in bugging delegates to the UN Security Council in the run up to the war on Iraq. This was highlighted by the case of Katharine Gun, a translator at GCHQ, whose disclosures lead to her being charged under the Official Secrets Act. The court case against Ms Gun collapsed when the prosecution decided to offer no evidence.

Mr Gerrard said “A few weeks ago I tried to put in a number of Parliamentary Questions about the reports of diplomats being bugged, and complaints to our Government from the Government of Mexico. At the time the questions were rejected, on the grounds that I was asking about a case which was sub judice. As soon as the trial collapsed I resubmitted them. I have now had answers, but they are uninformative, and simply repeat the formula that the Government will not respond to speculation about operational activities of the intelligence services.”

“However I was able to put an oral question to the Foreign Secretary at last week’s question time. I asked him what communications he had received from other governments regarding surveillance of delegates to the UN Security Council during the period before military action against Iraq. I went on to point out that in written answers, I had been told that it is not the Government's policy, and has never been the policy of any Government, to respond to speculation about the operational activities of the intelligence services.”

“I then pointed out that it is a fact rather than speculation that a communication was received from the Government of the USA asking for assistance in surveillance of United Nations delegations. I told the Foreign Secretary that the question as to what action was taken on that memorandum will not go away.”

March 2004

Home Page     |     News & Views     |     Press Archive