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Fraud allegations at UNESCO race
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-23 02:01 PARIS: The UN's cultural agency braced for an unusually suspenseful final round of voting to select its new chief - a race so tight it may come down to a random drawing between a controversial Egyptian and his low-profile Bulgarian rival. UNESCO denied allegations of last-minute bribery attempts to sway the voting that surfaced Tuesday, hours before the fifth-round balloting. Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny and Bulgarian former Foreign Minister Irina Bokova are neck-and-neck. If they tie in the vote late Tuesday, UNESCO statutes provide that the next director be chosen in a draw - one of their names pulled out of a bag by the chairman of the executive board.
Whatever the outcome, the winner must be validated at the UNESCO general conference planned for October 15, the organization's press office said. Hosny was considered the favorite for the job, despite his past comments about burning Israeli books. But he has been unable to win a majority of votes from the 58 delegates at UNESCO's executive board. Seven of the original nine candidates have dropped out of the race after four rounds of voting since last week, leaving him in a tie with Bokova, now Bulgaria's ambassador to France. Both had 29 votes in the latest round of secret balloting on Monday. If Bokova wins, she would be UNESCO's first woman director-general and the first from the former Soviet bloc. Hosny would be the first from the Arab world. Suspicions of fraud have risen as the unexpectedly intense race unfolded at the agency's Paris headquarters. A UNESCO delegate told The Associated Press that at least one person was ejected from the agency's building by UNESCO security staff for trying to bribe delegates on Monday. The official said several UNESCO member states had complained to the director general about the bribery attempts. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the eviction had been reported by senior members of UNESCO's administration. Elizabeth Longworth, executive director of the office of UNESCO's director-general, refused to discuss the issue on the telephone, saying she was too busy. A UNESCO spokeswoman denied there was hard evidence of bribery. "There have been rumors to that effect," but no formal complaint has surfaced, said spokeswoman Sue Williams. She said reports that someone was ejected Monday for unethical behavior had been investigated and found to be groundless. The agency disclosed no further details and UNESCO security service refused to discuss the issue. The outcry against Hosny has focused on his threat in the Egyptian parliament last year to personally burn any Israeli book he found in Egypt's famed Library of Alexandria. Hosny, a painter who has been Egypt's culture minister for more than two decades, made the comment in an attempt to defend himself against charges by Egyptian lawmakers of being soft on Israel. He has apologized for the remark, saying it was spontaneous and a manifestation of his anger at Palestinian suffering. Critics say Hosny is unfit to be the UN's guardian of culture because he censored some books and movies and stifled media freedoms to support the authoritarian Egyptian government. Supporters say he is experienced and could help UNESCO bridge gaps between the West and Islam. Bokova gained ground at the last minute as other candidates dropped out, partly because of efforts to find a strong challenger to Hosny. Bokova joined Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry's UN and disarmament department in 1976. She was foreign minister for a brief period in 1996-1997. The winner will replace current leader Koichiro Matsuura of Japan on November 15. |
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