The Times UK Online Edition article on the various editions of the report. Apparently they used Microsoft Word to write it, but made use of the "keep track of previous drafts" sort of features. Via LGF and Stephen Den Beste....The confidential changes were revealed by an extraordinary computer gaffe because an electronic version distributed by UN officials on Thursday night allowed recipients to track editing changes...But the furore over the doctoring of the report threatened to overshadow its damaging findings. It raised questions about political interference by Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary- General, who had promised not to make any changes in the report. One crucial change, apparently made after the report was submitted to the UN chief, removed the name of President al-Assadâs brother, Maher, his brother-in-law, Assef al-Shawkat, and other high-ranking Syrian officials...The deleted names represent the inner core of the Syrian regime. Maher al-Assad, President al-Assadâs younger brother, is a lieutenant-colonel and head of the Presidential Guard. He is known for his quick tem- per and six years ago was said to have shot his brother-in-law, General Assef Shawkat, in the stomach during an altercation...
My Grandmother shot me once... ONCE...
...At a press conference yesterday Herr Mehlis insisted that Mr Annan had not pressurised him into making changes. âNo one outside of the report team influenced these changes and no changes whatsoever were suggested by the Secretary-General,â he said.
Well, it's kinda obvious that this wasn't the case. The question is, how much of this "technical error" was intentional, and if so, whose idea was that? Finally, I thought I'd note that this was talked about here yesterday.