Blix, Butler 'bugged'

[Fridays Child]

The British or US intelligence services monitored former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix's mobile phone whenever he was in Iraq, sources have told the ABC.

A key Australian official at the heart of attempts to locate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Richard Butler, has also told the ABC that he was bugged while carrying out delicate international negotiations with the Iraqis.

The revelations come after former British cabinet minister Clare Short said the British intelligence service had spied on United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan as the United States and Britain tried to win UN support for invading Iraq.

Andrew Fowler from the ABC's Investigative Unit says sources have told him that Australia's Office of National Assessments has read transcripts of Dr Blix's phone conversations in Iraq.

-more-

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s1054743.htm

[aquart]

1. Never trust your friends.

[Syrinx]

2. that's interesting

on edit: Damn, I thought it was "our" ABC that was reporting it.

[SoCalDem]

3. We've known about this since before the invasion

It was a "blip" on the media radar, and then off to the war we went..

The UN tried to get an investogation going, but it was "not important"..

They always come late to the buffet :(

[ze_dscherman]

4. Puts some pressure on Blair

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cartoons/stevebell/0,7371,1157649,00.html

[Florida_Geek]

5. And Blair said

Short was bad for talking about this in the first place. Now the leak has become a flood.

[Mokito]

7. The shit is airborne!

Now...where's that fan?

[Voltaire99]

6. Bravo for Short

The Blair government deserves every thing it gets.

[chelaque liberal]

8. Let's just hope he takes * with him

"The Blair government deserves every thing it gets."
They weren't in on this alone.

[Nihil]

9. Sadly ...

... from the morning radio (and press), the consensus across all UK
parties is that Short is "bad" for breaking ranks ...

Even the opposition are weasel-mouthing with "alleged bugging" and,
as the Labour party are busy kicking her out, no-one is going to pick
up on the truth that was stated: the UK (along with the US and every
country with appropriate technology) engages in bugging people who
it shouldn't.

It appears that breaking confidences at the international level isn't
a crime but doing so at the party political level is.

Nihil