SECRETARY-GENERAL LAUNCHES INQUIRY INTO DISCOVERY OF POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIAL IN OFFICE OF IRAQ WEAPONS INSPECTORS

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General takes very seriously the late discovery of potentially hazardous material at the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) office in New York.

He has given immediate instructions to launch an internal investigation drawing on external expertise in close cooperation with the United States and New York City authorities.  He has asked the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security Services, David Veness, and the Under-Secretary-General for Management, Alicia Bౣena, in charge of the safety and security of staff and Secretariat premises, to immediately return to Headquarters.  They are to provide substantive support to the Deputy Secretary-General and the Chef de Cabinet who have both cancelled their participation to the senior leadership meeting in Turin, in order to closely monitor the situation on his behalf.

The Secretary-General immediately sought and was given confirmation that the materials in the custody of UNMOVIC posed no risk to the staff or general population.  All necessary safety measures continue to be taken.

The inquiry will examine the circumstances under which potentially hazardous substances were brought to the United Nations Headquarters in New York from Iraq, the reasons why discovery of the items was only made in 2007 and the safety procedures in place at Headquarters and in the field offices, as well as the extent to which these procedures were followed.

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