Annan: Iraq in civil war, worse than under Saddam [View All]

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03431252.htm

Annan: Iraq in civil war, worse than under Saddam

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Iraq was in the grips of a civil war and many people were worse off now than under Saddam Hussein, according to an interview to be broadcast on Monday.

Annan, who leaves office on Dec. 31 described Iraq as being in an extremely dangerous situation and again questioned the ability of Baghdad's leadership to solve the civil strife by themselves.

"When we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war -- this is much worse," Annan said in an interview with BBC television and radio. Last week Annan told reporters Iraq was nearing civil war.

He said he agreed with Iraqis who claim that life is worse now than it was under Saddam. "I think they are right in the sense of the average Iraqi's life," he told interviewer Lyse Doucet, who spoke to him on Friday. BBC provided a transcript of the interview.