UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stepped into the row over US handling of Iraq's weapons declaration, describing it as 'unfortunate' in an interview with the BBC World Service on 10 December. Washington faced criticism from other members of the UN Security Council for seizing control of the copying and distribution process for the 12,000-page document. While the UN was supposed to take charge, the White House persuaded Columbia, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency, to allow it to assume responsibility. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters on 9 December that the US had more secure copying facilities, and was concerned to ensure that no sensitive information on weapons programmes fell into the wrong hands.