UN staff ready historic no-confidence vote in Annan

[maddezmom]

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN employees are expected to issue an unprecedented vote of no confidence in Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), union sources say, after he pardoned the body's top oversight official over a series of allegations.


The UN staff union, in what officials said was the first vote of its kind in the more than 50-year history of the United Nations (news - web sites), was set to approve a resolution withdrawing support for the embattled Annan and senior UN management.


Annan has been in the line of fire over a high-profile series of scandals including controversy about a UN aid programme that investigators say allowed deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) to embezzle billions of dollars.


Staffers said the trigger for the no-confidence measure was an announcement this week that Annan had pardoned the UN's top oversight official, who was facing allegations of favouritism and sexual harassment.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1511&ncid=1511&e=4&u=/afp/20041119/wl_afp/un_annan_041119115027

[jrthin]

1. All I can say is...

It's about time. Annan has been one of the most ineffective and weak Sec-Gen, ever.

[Just Me]

12. BAH! No one will corner me into crucifying this man!!!

This feakin' predatory neocon-fascist administration is the target,...not Annan.

I only hope that whomever replaces him has his care-giving heart with a lion's roar such that no "bully on the block" can stop!!!

[seaofcrisis]

2. I nominate Bill Clinton to replace him. All in favor?

[jdj]

3. here, here

[robcon]

5. No American will ever be Sec'y Gen.

No one from any the permanent members of the Security Council will, or should, be Secretary General.

[Algorem]

4. Colon Poowell?Is it a plan?

[RuleofLaw]

6. WHAT!

Anna ineffective?

He has been ten times better than Boutros Boutros Gali who never dared to criticize anyone.

Kofi Annan has been like the worlds conscience, calling the Iraq war illegal and warning against war crimes in Falluja.

Remember, he does not run the show, the member states do. And mostly the US through its huge contribution.

Kofi Annan has Done everything he can. Yes there might be some areas he could have done better but its not easy to run an organization that some people would like to fail and others like to exploit.

[Algorem]

7. You KNOW Bushgang wants him gone.

wonder who they want in there?

[bin.dare]

8. I see the slimy smelly hand of BushCo in this

This reporting is a huge piece of shite.
From the article, we get "historic no-confidence vote", "unprecidented vote", "high profile series of scandals", "staffers ... afraid that speaking out could damage their future", "... widely criticised for failing to stop Rwanda..", "burgeoning scanal about oil-for-food", "obstructing US investigators", "first time in history", "surrounded by corruption", "responsible for some of the worst things to happen to mankind".

This is a BushCo hatchet job, but how did they get the AFP involved?

[Freddie Stubbs]

10. Perhaps AFP simply wrote this becasue

it is the truth. Just because it makes an enemy of Bush look bad doesn't mean its untrue. Sometimes bad guys are opposed by bad guys.

[bin.dare]

11. no, no, no, no, ...

you and the AFP can't get away with just the claims. show us the sources. who is making the claims? the one unior rep named in the article is not associated with any of the claims. come on guys, you can do much better than this.

[gottaB]

14. I agree, there's something not quite right about the article

An angry staffer is angry because of Annan's failings with respect to the Rwandan genocide? The time to quit would have been ten years ago. I thought the current grievance was about a case of sexual harassment? The story coheres on one point: smearing Kofi Annan. Nothing else about it makes sense.

[jtb33]

9. Good riddance Kofi. eom

[w4rma]

13. Rwanda? What was Annan supposed to do about Rwanda?

He doesn't command any troops and folks have been trying to cut him off at the knees ever since he started criticizing Bush for his invasion of Iraq.

Also, this article doesn't say how many "employees" are doing this. I expect its a minority of them. I also expect the vote to fail.