U.S. responsible for global crisis, Annan says
Associated Press
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday that the war in Iraq has sparked a global crisis that must be resolved through international co-operation.
“What kind of world would it be, and who would want to live in it, if every country was allowed to use force, without collective agreement, simply because it thought there might be a threat?” he said at Harvard University's commencement.
Mr. Annan's comments came two days after the UN Security Council voted to adopt a resolution backing Iraqi sovereignty and giving the new leaders clout over a U.S.-led force. The resolution was co-sponsored by the United States and Britain.
“Once again, in recent weeks, the United States found that it needed the unique legitimacy of the United Nations to bring into being a credible interim government in Iraq,” Mr. Annan said.
He said the United Nations and the United States are facing a crisis over whether force is a legitimate means to prevent attacks. That issue came to a head last year when the Bush administration said fears of international terrorism required the ouster of Saddam Hussein. Critics, including Mr. Annan, say the United States should have sought more international approval before attacking.
Mr. Annan also cited a “crisis of solidarity” between the United Nations and the United States, which he argued was diverting international attention and resources away from long-standing challenges such as AIDS, education and infant mortality.
Finally, Mr. Annan said, the world is facing a “crisis of prejudice and intolerance.”
“We must not allow ourselves, out of fear or anger, to treat people whose faith or culture differs from ours as enemies,” he said.
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