Brussels, 30/06/2000 (Agence Europe) - Vice President of the European Commission, Mr Kinnock, has written to the Chairman of the Committee on Budgetary Control at the EP, Ms Theato, as well as to the newspapers Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Focus and Libération, to inform them that the allegations, which brought into question the probity and the honour of Commission official Mr Santiago Gomez Reino, former Director of the EU Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), was unfounded. The internal disciplinary procedure which completely cleared him was objective and detailed, and the fact that he is still being brought into question "makes one think there is manipulation". EUROPE will come back to this.