United Nations (news - web sites) Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) speaks at the traditional year-end press conference at UN headquarters in New York.(AFP/Stan Honda)
Posted on 12/21/2004 4:35:00 PM PST by NormsRevenge
UNITED NATIONS - Relieved at the end of a "horrible year," Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) insisted Tuesday he has no intention of resigning over an embattled U.N. program to aid Iraqis and will pursue sweeping reforms in his remaining two years in office.
At a year-end news conference, the secretary-general said allegations of corruption in the oil-for-food program had "cast a shadow" over the United Nations (news - web sites) and especially over the U.N. relations with the United States, the world body's largest financial contributor.
While Annan said he had "the confidence and support" of the 191 U.N. member states, he said the criticism and attacks in the United States have not helped the U.S.-U.N. relationship, and expressed hope the oil-for-food investigation led by former U.S. Federal Reserve (news - web sites) Chairman Paul Volcker will "help clear the air."
"The United States needs the United Nations and the United Nations needs the United States," the secretary-general said. "And we need to find a way of working together."
Annan refused to back the view of his son, Kojo, who said in a statement to CNN last week that the oil-for-food attacks were "a witchhunt from day one as part of a broader Republican political agenda" in the United States. Kojo Annan is being investigated by Volcker because he worked in Africa for a company that had an oil-for-food contract, but he denies any involvement.
The secretary-general said he and the United Nations had been subjected to persistent attacks from "certain quarters" which he didn't identify, but also to constructive criticism "which we accept."
He refused to accept any personal responsibility until the Volcker investigation is completed in mid-2005, but said "when you run this sort of operation it is inevitable that their may be some mistakes and things that could have been done better."
Annan said the allegations have overshadowed the relief that the oil-for-food program brought to million of Iraqis. Launched in December 1996, it allowed Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime to sell unlimited quantities of oil provided the money went primarily to buy food, medicine and humanitarian goods and pay reparations to victims of the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites).
A report in October by top U.S. arms inspector Charles Duelfer said Saddam was able to "subvert" the $60 billion program to generate an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue outside U.N. control from 1997-2003. Saddam also raked in over $8 billion from illicit oil deals with Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Egypt — and billions more, according to U.S. congressional investigators.
After U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record), a Minnesota Republican leading one legislative probe, called for Annan's resignation last month, many countries rushed to support him — but not President Bush (news - web sites)'s administration. It took until Dec. 9 for U.S. Ambassador John Danforth to announce Washington's backing.
Last week, Annan held separate talks in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites), who will succeed him, but not with Bush.
Annan told reporters he had "very good and constructive discussions" on issues that the United States and the United Nations are working on ranging from Iraq (news - web sites) and Afghanistan (news - web sites) to the Middle East and U.N. reform, and "the question of resignation did not come up."
"On the question of my resignation, let me say that I have quite a lot of work to do," he said, stressing plans for a summit in September 2005 where world leaders will address global security threats in the 21st century.
He expressed hope that Volcker will "find out the truth as quickly as possible" so "we can all calm down" and world leaders can focus not only on the decisions needed to reform the United Nations but on implementing key development goals including halving the number of people living in poverty by 2015.
Annan disclosed that Volcker's first report in January would be accompanied by reports of U.N. internal audits of the oil-for-food program, which have sought by Coleman and other U.S. Congressional investigators.
"There's no doubt that this has been a particularly difficult year, and I am relieved that this annus horribilis is coming to an end," he said, using the Latin words for a "horrible year" that Queen Elizabeth II (news - web sites) used to describe 1992 when the marriages of her sons, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew, were breaking up and her home at Windsor Castle suffered a serious fire.
The one thing that "will make my nights and days better," Annan said, is less killing of innocent civilians and an end to conflicts in Africa, especially in Sudan, but also in Iraq.
United Nations (news - web sites) Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) speaks at the traditional year-end press conference at UN headquarters in New York.(AFP/Stan Honda)
U.N. Out Of The U.S.
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Then kick him out.........
If I had my say, based on what I know, convecture, but if true, the bastard would be indicted and sent to jail.
My nights and days will be better with you gone, Kofi.
God willing, 2005 is going to be even worse for him.
French President Jacques Chirac (L) speaks with UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan (news - web sites) (R) as Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero stands behind during a family photo at the European Council building during a family photo session of a European Union (news - web sites) heads of state summit in Brussels December 17, 2004. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Oh goody, may it deteriorate until there is no relationship left.
Annan was also heard to quip " Besides, there is still a lot of money to be made here."
I agree. Commie Annan should not resign his post.
Rather, he should be tied up, bundled with a pretty pink ribbon and handed over to the relatives of people he murdered in Rwanda.
No thanks, Kofi. We don't put foxes in charge of reorganizing the chicken coop.
My college Management professor taught us:
"You can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate responsibility."
How correct he was, yet in government circles, and now with Kofi it seems nobody is responsible.
My take: It was and is Kofi's job to be responsible for everything. That means what he knows about, and what he SHOULD know about.
It is his job to know. It is his job to have ways of finding out. It is his job to have monitoring and auditing systems in place.
That he didn't know about the fraud, is not a defense. It is the proof of his incompetence.
He should be fired, for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing.
He should be fired, for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing.
He should be fired, for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing. He should be fired for not knowing.
I think the really sad part in all this is that Anan was considered the more moderate and less corrupt administrator for the top spot at the U.N. when 1st elected.
Imagine what the other candidates were like?
The UN is not so flush with funds, as to be able to throw away this much money.
Kofi should be fired for mismanagement. He should be fired for allowing assets to be lost.
Translation: OK, attacking the US and calling its actions in Iraq illegal, and then backing the losing presidential candidate were stupid moves. But I really want to keep my job. Can we make up now?
Where's Annan's discussion of how well the UN is doing in Dafur?
"Annan Insists He Won't Resign U.N. Post (wanna bet?)"
Are you giving odds?
The edge should go to his resignation. Kofi is a perfect man for an organization as corrupt as the UN.
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