U.S. reviews UN agency's IT dealings with sanctioned countries

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States said on Wednesday, July 4 it was reviewing a UN agency's dealings with sanctioned countries such as Iran after documents showed the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) had supplied IT equipment to the Islamic Republic, Reuters reported.

The Geneva-based WIPO, a 185-member body that includes Iran, sent IT equipment to Iranian authorities, according to correspondence between WIPO and the Iranian agency dealing with intellectual property, dated August 2010 and provided to Reuters by a source close to WIPO.

UN sanctions passed in 2008 to curb the development of Iran's disputed nuclear program prohibit the supply, sale or transfer of a range of materials and technology.

"We have made several inquiries to the WIPO Secretariat and requested any related documentation. We have received several project documents and are in the process of reviewing them," said David Kennedy, spokesman for the U.S. Mission in Geneva.

"We are also working with like-minded countries to urge (WIPO) Director General (Francis) Gurry to conduct an independent, external investigation into past WIPO projects in countries under U.N. Security Council sanctions," he added.

WIPO's staff association has also complained internally that the organization's assistance to North Korea may be violating two UN Security Council resolutions.