Posted on 11/12/2005 8:25:20 AM PST by ncountylee
BAGHDAD, Nov 12 (Reuters) - An emotional United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan paid tribute to fallen colleagues on Saturday when he made his first visit to Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The United Nations has been operating at greatly reduced levels in the country since international staff were withdrawn in October 2003 after two bombings at its Baghdad offices but its operations are slowly beginning to expand.
"I have been wanting to come for quite some time," Annan said, recalling his envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was among 22 people killed in a truck bombing at the former U.N. headquarters in August 2003.
"As I walked into our building I stopped by a monument erected to our dear friends who died here in 2003 ... They carried no guns, they came to help and their lives were cut short," he told reporters inside the heavily guarded U.N. compound in central Baghdad.
Annan addressed many of the more than 200 staff working in Baghdad and spoke with feeling of Vieira de Mello and other U.N. workers who died.
Annan earlier met Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari and several other senior political leaders, including former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, and nine Sunni Arab leaders who will contest parliamentary elections on Dec. 15.
The visit to Iraq was Annan's first since a highly critical report on the U.N. oil-for-food programme in Iraq before 2003 that has severely damaged his reputation.
year-long probe of the $64 billion humanitarian programme for Iraq castigated top U.N. officials for tolerating corruption and faulted the 15-member Security Council for turning a blind eye to oil smuggling and other illicit earnings outside the programme, a violation of U.N. trade sanctions.
(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...
Hey Kofi...why did you refuse American protection for the UN compound and kill those people?
This phony @sshole, how many people are you responsible for killing with you and your families involvement in the oil voucher scandal you scumbag----Kofi Annan is nothing but a murderer for money and deserves to be in prison....eff'ing @hole
He did so well with the Oil for Food program that I think we should give him control of the internet.
While we're on the subject of dead bodies, how about the million dead Rwandans that weren't worth the tiniest of token apologies? Got any comment on that, you worthless puke?
---"As I walked into our building I stopped by a monument erected to our dear friends who died here in 2003 ... They carried no guns, they came to help and their lives were cut short," he told reporters inside the heavily guarded U.N. compound in central Baghdad.---
Yes, I seem to recall something about the UN not wanting US soldiers standing guard in the front of their headquarters. What about it Kofi?
As opposed to the more than 2000 American and other coalition troops who brought bad ol' guns here, right? /s
The UN delays gave Saddam and the terrorists time to fortify their positions, hide the WMDs in Syria, and stockpile enough conventional weapons to harass the forces who actually did go there to help. Khofi is a hypocrite and an opportunist, and is likely to blame for the majority of American deaths in Iraq.
I'm sure the Iraqis are thrilled to hear the U.N. is finding it's way clear to bring it's potential rapists and food for oil operatives into their nation. What more could a fledgling government ask for?
Remember, this is the same U.N. that refused to back the U.S. when it moved into Iraq in 2002.
If I were the Iraqi leadership, I'd be asking the U.N. to put a dollar figure on how much they were prepared to return to the Iraqi people, from what it stole from them under the Food for Oil program.
crocodile tears
kofi, who waited until the area had been made safe by US forces, whined and sniveled about how tough things are for the un...saying they are 'only here to help'...
Kohfi didn't bother getting emotional over the people killed by Saddam while Saddam and his UN buddies enjoyed the benefits of the Blood for Oil Vouchers scam.
Give this idiot the hook!!
Once coffe is gone The Bent One will be there..no telling what will happen???
More of the same, oply worse. Luckily (so far) the UN hasn't changed their rules about founding members becoming head and Bubba hasn't filed for residency in Bosnia (The War that Clinton Won®)
Now re-read it changing the definition for the word recall. ie: diplomats being recalled.
Keep recalling those dead people, Kofi!!
I just laughed my rearend off!!
eff'n LIAR!
Keep a close eye on Kofi, he may know where Sadam buried some mad money.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.