US says to continue work closely with Annan

The United States said on Friday that it will continue to work closely with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"Secretary-General Annan is someone we have worked closely with on a number of important priorities, like the global AIDS initiative and like our efforts in Sudan and other areas where we have worked to make the world safer and better. He is someone we will continue to work closely with," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said at a briefing.

Nonetheless, McClellan said the United States expects a full investigation of the scandal surrounding the oil-for-food program.

"It is important for us to continue to emphasize that we expect a full investigation and a transparent investigation," McClellan said.

Annan rejected on Tuesday calls by some US congressmen for his resignation over the alleged corruption scandal surrounding the UN-run Iraqi oil-for-food program.

The oil-for-food program, which started in December 1996, allowed Iraq to export oil worth 69.5 billion US dollars. The United Nations oversaw Iraq's oil sales and its purchase of humanitarian supplies. The program was shut down in November last year.

The corruption rumors surfaced in January when an Iraqi newspaper published a list of about 270 prominent figures from more than 46 countries, saying they received oil money from Saddam Hussein's regime.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Annan's son, Kojo Annan, received payments from a Swiss firm which participated in the Iraqi program.

The corruption scandal is currently under investigation by an independent committee led by former US Federal Reserves Chairman Paul Volcker.

Source: Xinhua