U.N. to probe handling of Lebanon video

By Liz Neisloss
CNN U.N. Producer

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Caught in a situation that has "embarrassed" the United Nations, the organization announced Wednesday it will launch an internal investigation into the facts surrounding a videotape taken by U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon a day after the kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers last year.

The investigation will look into the "handling of the tape and exchanges with the Israeli government."

"The reason for the inquiry is that, frankly, the organization was embarrassed and its credibility was hurt by what appears to be a mishandling of this event," U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

"The secretary-general, I think, as a manager, wants to have a review of the circumstances under which filming is done in peacekeeping missions and the way in which information is moved up the chain of command," Eckhard said.

The United Nations has offered to show an edited version of the tape to the Israeli government and to the families of the soldiers. This version would have faces of all non-U.N. personnel obscured.

Israel has demanded to see an unedited version and says the videotape could help identify members of Hezbollah who may have kidnapped three Israeli soldiers in the Shebaa Farms area on October 7.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government has told the United Nations that showing any of the tape would be "unacceptable" and tantamount to providing an enemy with intelligence.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has asked Undersecretary-General for Management Joseph Connor to conduct the investigation and to report back "as soon as possible."

The existence of the half-hour videotape, shot a day after the kidnappings took place, was first denied by the United Nations.

The videotape shows two abandoned vehicles bearing fake U.N. license plates. It also shows the efforts of U.N. soldiers to tow the vehicles and then the interruption of the towing by members of Hezbollah. The U.N. says "there's no way to tell" if these vehicles were used in the abduction or not.

The U.N. says the videotape does not shed any light on the circumstances of the abduction or the condition of the abductees.