Annan: Iraq War Hasn't Made World Safer

[Rose Siding]

LONDON -- The U.S.-led war in Iraq hasn't made the world any safer, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a British TV interview aired Sunday.

"I cannot say the world is safer when you consider the violence around us, when you look around you and see the terrorist attacks around the world and you see what is going on in Iraq," Annan told the ITV network.

"We have a lot of work to do as an international community to try and make the world safer," he said.

Annan has previously described the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein as "illegal."

He told ITV that Iraq was on track to hold elections at the end of January and said he would speak out if he was not satisfied with the way they are conducted.

"If that sort of judgment or any decision which is made which we think detracts from the credibility and viability of the elections, we will be duty bound to say so," he said.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-annan,0,3089825.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[sweettater]

1. Just how much "clout" does Annan have?

Seriously.

[BayCityProgressive]

2. none.

He has no power to do anything. The UN is a toothless tiger. It will probably just make the GOP hate the UN even more now.

[sweettater]

3. That's what I thought but wasn't sure

Thanks

[Briar]

5. It's partly because

the US hated the UN as a possible threat to its power to act without check in the world that we are in this sorry state. American might makes right, and that's what was always intended. We need a means of making Bush respect International Law, but the US has ensured there is none.

Just as no person should be above the law, so no country should.

[young_at_heart]

4. The Bush Corporation has rendered the UN "obsolete"

I heard Richard Perle say this on The Charlie Rose Show a few years ago. Obviously, this group of neocons wants to make the UN powerless.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Zorra]

7. Well, ain't that the truth. n/t