According to leaked classified documents, U.S. intelligence agencies collected intelligence about conversations of UN Secretary-General António Guterres with other top officials of the organization, as well as with some world leaders. The Washington Post reported that the intelligence agencies had collected data on conversations between the secretary-general and his aides, including direct quotes from the secretary-general, as well as analysis by intelligence officials.
U.S. intelligence agencies have been collecting data on conversations and talks between UN Secretary-General António Guterres and world leaders and top officials. According to The Washington Post, this has been revealed in secret intelligence documents that have been made public following a recent massive data leak.
The documents, which are also believed to have come online from the Discord gaming platform, contain conversations intercepted by the Americans that shed new light on Guterres’ interactions with fellow UN and world leaders, the article explains. In particular, it details Guterres’ “outrage” at being denied a visit to the war-torn region in Ethiopia, as well as his “frustration” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The reports relating to Guterres appear to describe the content of the UN secretary-general’s personal conversations with his aides regarding various meetings in diplomatic circles. They also show that the US used the powers of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to gather information, according to The Washington Post.
The documents apparently contain both direct quotes from conversations between the secretary-general and his aides and analysis of his emotions and remarks by intelligence officials, the article explains. They reflect some of the most intense diplomatic efforts the UN secretary-general has made in recent times against the backdrop of various international crises and conflicts.
In particular, according to the February 17 summary report, Guterres intended to vent his anger at Ethiopia’s UN representative after Ethiopian Foreign Minister Demeke Mekonnen apparently sent Guterres a letter disapproving of his plans to visit the country’s war-torn Tigray region to support the peace process. At the African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed “apologised for refusing to arrange Guterres’ planned visit to the Tigray region”, according to another secret document.
After the African Union summit, Guterres returned to New York and then visited Switzerland, Iraq and Qatar in early March. A secret document also states that he was not too happy about an invitation to go to Kiev just days later when the Ukrainian government said that President Volodymyr Zelensky wanted to meet him in person.
The intelligence report does not specify the reason for the secretary-general’s displeasure, but according to a diplomatic source, the 73-year-old Guterres had already been on the road for several weeks at the time, and the trip to Ukraine required another long flight and about another 11-hour drive to Kiev.
Another document also reports that after Guterres’ private meeting with Zelensky on 8 March and a joint press conference, the secretary-general told his press secretary Stéphane Dujarric that he was extremely unhappy with the public ceremony that was unexpectedly arranged to mark International Women’s Day during his visit.
According to aides to the UN secretary-general, President Zelensky staged the event, which included the awarding of medals to soldiers in uniform, without informing Guterres about it. Various photos and videos of the ceremony have since been published, making it look as if the UN secretary-general was congratulating soldiers from one of the acting parties to the conflict, the article explains.
Guterres has repeatedly condemned Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, calling it a violation of the UN Charter and international law, The Washington Post wrote. “Ukraine’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity must be maintained within its internationally recognised borders,” he said at a press conference with Zelensky in Kiev. However, another classified document indicates that according to US assessments, Guterres “undermines international campaigns aimed at holding Russia accountable”, according to the article.
For his part, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters last week, commenting on reports of surveillance, that Guterres “has been involved in politics and public activities for some time; so I think he is not surprised by the fact that he is being spied on and overheard in his private conversations.”
UN diplomats themselves say this does not surprise them, although it irritates them, according to the article.
“I don’t think anyone here in this organisation believes that any of our modes of communication are a hundred per cent protected from the United States or other members. The fact that those member states that have the ability to spy or eavesdrop on private conversations at the UN do so is not surprising; but frankly, it is very annoying,” an unnamed diplomatic source told The Washington Post.
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