Washington, Dec. 7: US lobbied with the top UN scientist, Mr R.K. Pachauri, to prevent appointment of an Iranian scientist to a key position in the Inter-Government Panel on Climate Change, according to a secret US memo leaked by Wikileaks.
However, Mr Pachauri has denied any such allegations and asserted that he was not influenced by any one during the selection process of the post, which went to an Argentinean.
“USDEL (US delegation) is working actively to prevent the election of an Iranian scientist to the developing-nation co-chairmanship of working group two, a position which would pair him with a US scientist running unopposed for developed nation co-chair of the same group,” says a confidential state department memo, dated September 2, 2008.
The US, has neither confirmed nor denied the authenticity of these documents.