WASHINGTON -- The Washington Times disputed Monday claims by Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry he met with the U.N. Security Council before the war in Iraq.
An investigation by the newspaper revealed while the Massachusetts senator did talk to at least a few members of the panel, no such group meeting as described by Kerry, ever occurred.
At the second presidential debate earlier this month, Kerry said he met with the entire Security Council in October 2002.
"I went to meet with the members of the Security Council in the week before we voted. I went to New York. I talked to all of them, to find out how serious they were about really holding Saddam Hussein accountable," Kerry said of the Iraqi dictator.
But of five ambassadors on the Security Council in 2002 who were reached, four said they had never met Kerry. The four also said no one who worked for their countries' U.N. missions had met with him either.
After being told late Sunday of the results of the investigation, the Kerry campaign issued a statement that read in part, "It was a closed meeting and a private discussion."
