Mon Nov 8, 2004 06:29 PM ET
By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An assault on Falluja was Iraq's "least damaging choice" for providing security for civilians in the rebel-held city, Baghdad's U.N. ambassador said he told Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday.
Annan had warned the United States, Britain and Iraq that an assault on Falluja risked further dividing the Iraqi people and jeopardizing planned January elections. This drew a rebuttal from Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
U.N. officials particularly fear a large-scale attack on Falluja could provoke an election boycott by Sunni Muslims and undermine efforts to promote stability in a country already deeply divided along religious and ethnic lines.
But Iraqi Ambassador Samir Sumaidy said he told Annan that Falluja's residents would be "very unlikely to participate in any elections in the current conditions."
"We have very few choices. We have to choose the least damaging, the least dangerous of all the choices ahead of us, and that is to return law and order to Falluja and return some level of security for the civilians, because at the moment they have no security," Sumaidy told reporters.
The two men met shortly after U.S. Marines launched a full-scale assault to retake the city. But Sumaidy said boycott fears were unrelated to the question of a military assault.
"The action in Falluja is directed against terrorists, not against those that want to take part in the election or not take part in the election," he said.
A U.N. spokesman said Annan and Sumaidy had "discussed their differing perspectives" but agreed on the importance of establishing a relationship based on mutual understanding.
The meeting was the first since Allawi sent Annan an angry letter rejecting the U.N. secretary-general's warning that an assault might jeopardize the elections.
"The terrorists and insurgents operating from places like Falluja ... are not looking simply for a delay; they want the whole political process to fail. They would not be appeased by a delay, but rather encouraged by one," Allawi wrote Annan.
In letters to Allawi, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Annan "was merely warning that use of force could destabilize the country at a critical point in the preparation for the elections," said U.N. chief spokesman Fred Eckhard.
But Allawi said "the same group who murdered so many of your staff in the bombing of the U.N. headquarters last year has since murdered hundreds of innocent Iraqis and committed countless other atrocities." He was referring to the August 2003 bombing of U.N. offices in Baghdad that killed 22 people.
>>A U.N. spokesman said Annan and Sumaidy had "discussed their differing perspectives" but agreed on the importance of establishing a relationship based on mutual understanding. <<
i detest this kinda PC cr*p talk.. it says nothing... mumbo jumbo.. so different then how W and Rummy, and Allawi talk - crystal clear and black and white.
maybe it's just because i'm an eegnerant red neck..
I bet Allawi CC'ed President Bush and PM Blair his response. Bush and Blair had to be chuckling.
"Allawi told Annan, "I was a little surprised by the lack of any mention in your letter of the atrocities which these groups have committed."
First of all, the UN building was attacked because they foolishly insisted on making themselves a soft target by adamantly refusing to have US military protection placed around their stinkin' building. So the UN damfools were educated about the equal opportunity aspect of murderous puke terrorists.
Secondly, I don't buy that the Sunni's will decide to boycott the elections because of the Fallujah operation, but even if they do, so WHAT!?! Voting is optional in this country too. You don't vote, you have no right whatsoever to complain about the elected officials.
Third, Koffee Annus couldn't care less about any aspect of democratic elections in Iraq. Unless whoever is elected can somehow be made to resume payments and kickbacks to Annan, perhaps. Otherwise all he's concerned with is opposing America at every turn and step in perfect lock-step with his butt-buddy Chirac.
Good article Texkat. (/rant)
Prairie