Institute not linked to CIA, says Albright
An organisation headed by former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright has sent a letter to Hong Kong media outlets denying reports that it is linked to the CIA.
In a letter signed by Dr Albright, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs defended its work to strengthen local political parties and denied any association with the CIA.
'In Hong Kong, we have worked with civil society organisations and all the political parties,' the institute said.
'Our work with these parties is aimed at assisting them in effectively participating in Hong Kong's evolving electoral system, and that assistance is similar to our work with political parties in dozens of countries throughout the world.
'We have never offered nor provided funding to the political parties in Hong Kong, an erroneous claim made by some newspaper and magazine articles,' it said, without naming the publications.
The institute describes itself as an independent non-government organisation dedicated to strengthening and expanding democracy worldwide.
It said it derives its support from a number of sources, most notably the National Endowment for Democracy, a semi-governmental organisation established to support and strengthen democratic institutions around the world.
The endowment has often been accused of being engaging in CIA-like activities.
The institute letter defends the endowment against unidentified media reports and seeks to put some distance between the two organisations. 'We believe that the NED enjoys an excellent reputation throughout the world and we are proud to be associated with it,' the letter says. 'The institute is, however, a separate organisation and our programmes are solely our responsibility.
