تسريبات باسماء حكومة الكفاءات المرشحة لفترة الحكم الانتقالي

Quote: GENEVA — The head of the United Nations patent organization will leave his post a year early, officials said Thursday. Kamil Idris, who was scheduled to step down as director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2009, had faced pressure to resign after using an apparently false birth date when he applied to join the agency. Developed countries failed last month in their bid for a public debate on an internal report that said Idris had stated his year of birth as 1945, then changed it to 1954 last year. The earlier date would have helped him get his first job at the agency in 1982 and subsequent promotions until 1997, when he became director general. The later birth date could have enhanced his retirement benefits, the report said. Idris denies the allegations. The dispute led the United States and other Western countries to block approval of the agency's $537 million budget for 2008 and 2009, hampering its efforts to expand its work in developing countries. Idris, a citizen of Sudan, announced his departure Wednesday in a staff memorandum that was obtained by The Associated Press. Its authenticity was confirmed by agency officials. In the memo, Idris said he had "decided to advance the process for nominating and appointing a director general" and urged member states to consider approving the new budget. No reason for his early departure, likely to be in the autumn of 2008, was given, and officials of the agency were unable to provide an immediate explanation. Warren Tichenor, the U.S. ambassador in Geneva, issued a statement describing Idris's announcement as "a positive development." "The member states and the employees of WIPO deserve to have an organization that is led with the highest professional and ethical standards," Tichenor, "and we believe that this renewal of leadership will bring new confidence and vitality to the organization." During the annual meeting of the agency in Geneva last month, Tichenor lamented the failure of member states to "properly address the evidence of misconduct by the director general." A European Union request for Idris to step down in order to avoid damage to the organization's credibility was rebuffed at the time. Developing countries had resisted public scrutiny of the allegations against Idris, describing them as part of a racist smear campaign against the head of a well-run United Nations body. The UN patent agency is unique among UN agencies because it achieves a multimillion-dollar surplus by charging fees on patent registrations and other commercial services, rather than having member states paying all operating costs. In addition to the age discrepancy, Idris's 1982 application said he had obtained a master's degree in international law from Ohio University in 1978. But Jessica Stark, spokeswoman for the university, said that Idris attended from Sept 12, 1977, to June 10, 1978, when he received a master of arts degree in African studies. Idris later issued a statement saying that he had received a master of arts degree in international affairs at Ohio University, omitting the reference to a law degree in the 1982 application. American officials have expressed "strong concerns" about the accuracy of Idris's past applications for U.S. visas and said they were considering whether that should result in the denial of future visa applications. It is unclear whether Idris will face any further scrutiny of the suspected misconduct after the announcement of his early departure.