Geneva: Senior US diplomats in Geneva have objected to statements by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan that the US-UK pursued the war in Iraq "without specific authorisation by the Security Council".

US Ambassador Kevin E Moley, the US permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, called the Secretary General's statement to the commission on Human Rights April 24 "an egregious mis-statement of the facts of our going to war in Iraq."

Annan said to the commission on Human Rights on April 28, "The decision to go to war without specific authorisation by the Security Council has created deep divisions that will need to be bridged if we are to deal effectively, not just with the aftermath in Iraq, but with other major challenges on the international arena."

Agencies