(UN's) Annan: Military action feeding resistance-Lack of security bars U.N

[papau]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4845246/

Annan: Military action feeding resistance
-Lack of security bars U.N. intervention, he says

The Associated Press April 28, 2004 UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Wednesday that military action in Iraq was feeding the ranks of the resistance and urged U.S. authorities to do everything possible to seek a peaceful solution in the cities of Fallujah and Najaf.

As explosions and gunfire rocked Fallujah and U.S. troops began expanding operations out of their base in the holy city of Najaf, Annan called for negotiations on the ground and a concerted international effort to stabilize Iraq.

“Violent military action by an occupying power against inhabitants of an occupied country will only make matters worse,” he said. “It’s definitely time, time now, for those who prefer restraint and dialogue to make their voices heard.”<snip>

“The reason why I asked for caution is the more the occupation is seen as taking steps that harm the civilians and the population, the greater the ranks of the resistance grows,” Annan said.<snip>

[Voltaire99]

1. Where is the American leader with the nerve to say "enough"?

As Robert Scheer argues persuasively this week in the LA Times, Kerry's Bush-lite approach to Iraq is wrong. It's time to start owning up to this disaster. Deescalation, then withdrawal, is the best solution.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0427-04.htm

[TrogL]

2. that's not the way they think

The US military thinks everything can be solved with firepower. Their mantra is "shoot first and ask questions after" or even "shoot first, shoot some more, shoot everything that moves then root around and see if there's anybody left to answer a question in their dying breath". They've learned nothing from Vietnam. They appear to be modelling this on the Falkland Island crisis, something it doesn't even faintly resemble.

They won't be happy until they've levelled half a dozen cities, killed a significant percentage of the population, and having enraged (pronounced "subdued") resistance, walk away, leaving a disaster for more level-headed countries to clean up.

[Just Me]

3. Sorry, Annan. We don't have rulers who listen to reason.

They have greed and power and arrogance so totally controlling their brains that they can no longer T-H-I-N-K.