Sri Lanka, April 20 -- The following excerpts are from a newly-released, 220-page book titled

"No Comment - and Don't Quote me on That", a rich collection of political anecdotes, both serious and hilarious, reflecting over 40 years of reporting from the United Nations.

The United Nations, along with the 193 diplomatic missions located in New York, have long been veritable battlegrounds for spying, wire-tapping and electronic surveillance.

When the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA) held its annual award ceremony in December 2013, one of the video highlights was a hilarious skit on the clumsy attempts at spying going on inside the highest levels of the Secretariat-and right up to the 38th-floor offices of then Secretary-General Ban Ki...