UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan rejected on Tuesday calls by some US congressmen for his resignation over an alleged corruption scandal surrounding the UN-run Iraqi oil-for-food program.

"I have quite a lot of work to do and I'm carrying on with my work," Annan told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York. "We have a major agenda next year, and the year ahead, trying to reform this organization."

Asked whether he was saying definitely "no" to the calls for his resignation, Annan replied, "I think you heard my answer."

Five members of the US House of Representatives on Monday joined a US senator in calling for Annan's departure. Republican Senator Norm Coleman wrote in the Wall Street Journal last week, saying Annan should be held accountable for alleged corruption and fraud in the oil-for-food program.

But these calls gained little support from the rest of the world. Many world leaders, including French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, came forward to defend the embattled UN chief.

The African Union (AU) issued a statement on Tuesday, expressing great concern about the "campaign of calumny" against Annan, who comes from the West African nation of Ghana.

"The AU Executive Council expresses its unshaken confidence in the UN secretary-general who has consistently demonstrated great commitment to the ideals of the United Nations and a determination to reposition it in the globalizing world ...," said the statement, which was distributed here.

The oil-for-food program, which started in December 1996, allowed Iraq to export oil worth 69.5 billion US dollars. The United Nations oversaw Iraq's oil sales and its purchase of humanitarian supplies. The program was shut down in November last year.

The corruption rumors surfaced in January when an Iraqi newspaper published a list of about 270 prominent figures from more than 46 countries, saying they received oil money from Saddam Hussein's regime. The list allegedly includes UN official Benon Sevan, who had been in charge of the program. But he vigorously denied the charge.

In his article, Coleman said US congressional investigations showed that the program allowed Hussein to acquire some 21.3 billion dollars in oil revenues.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Annan's son, Kojo Annan, received payments from a Swiss firm which participated in the Iraqi program.

The corruption scandal is currently under investigation by an independent committee led by former US Federal Reserves Chairman Paul Volcker.

Source: Xinhua