Kissinger steps down as chairman of Sept 11 panel

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has stepped down as chairman of a panel investigating the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, citing controversy over potential conflicts of interest with his private-sector clients.

“It is clear that, although specific potential conflicts can be resolved in this manner, the controversy would quickly move to the consulting firm I have built and own,” Mr Kissinger wrote yesterday in a letter to US President George W Bush, who appointed him.