US denies wanting Annan to quit

Kofi Annan has received support from other world leaders

The US has confidence in UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and is not trying to oust him, outgoing US Ambassador John Danforth has said.

No-one had cast doubt on Mr Annan's personal integrity, Mr Danforth added.

Influential Republicans have called for Mr Annan's resignation over alleged corruption in the UN's oil-for-food programme in Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

But until now, the Bush administration had not given its explicit backing to the secretary general.

Mr Danforth told reporters: "We are not suggesting or pushing for the resignation of the secretary general.

"We have worked well with him in the past and look forward to working with him for some time in the future."

However, he said the alleged fraud had to be investigated, because there was "a cloud" over the UN.

"The only way to dispel that cloud is to let the sunlight in," he added.

Illegal profit

Pressure began to build on Mr Annan last week, after US Senator Norm Coleman alleged that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was allowed to profit from the UN-backed scheme and that Mr Annan was ultimately responsible.

The Republican senator is conducting a congressional inquiry of the allegations.

Mr Coleman, who is chairman of the Senate investigations sub-committee and a member of the Senate foreign relations committee, says Saddam Hussein personally made more than $20bn from the scheme.

Senator Coleman's attack followed the disclosure that Kofi Annan's son, Kojo, had received money from a company under investigation in connection with allegedly corrupt oil-for-food payments.

Kojo Annan maintains that the payments were all in order and were not connected with the UN-backed programme.

The criticism of the secretary general in the US has prompted expressions of support from other world leaders, who telephoned Mr Annan personally to give him their backing.

On Wednesday, Mr Annan received a prolonged standing ovation from diplomats at the UN General Assembly who had come to hear him present a blueprint for UN reform.

The UN programme allowed Baghdad to sell oil in exchange for food and supplies between 1996 and 2003, to ease the effects of international sanctions.