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The Forum > Article Comments > Kofi Annan and the UN > Comments

Kofi Annan and the UN : Comments

By John Langmore, published 5/1/2007

Kofi Annan was one of the most outstanding Secretary-Generals of the UN so why then was he so vilified?

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Unfortunately, the United Nations is fundamentally flawed and until some very real reformationm and restructuring takes place, it will continue to take a back seat to bilateral or multi-lateral agreements. It is right to say that Kofi Annan cannot be held entirely accountable for Rwanda, Sudan and Zimbabwe, but ultimately the responsibility is his, just as Iraq is ultimately the responsibility of Bush.

Personally, I see Kofi Annan as a hypocrite. For example, while the AWB saga was playing out, Annan's son was inextricably linked to dealings with the former Iraq regime, limks that could only have been sanctioned (or covered up by his father). Furthermore, as a truly African secretary general, who could be better qualified to understand the issues and prevent at least 3 African genocides from taking place under his watch? Once again though, Annan bowed to the inaction and political manipulation of Mbeki, Mugabe & Co.

The only real progress that has been made on the HIV issue while Annan has been around, has been made in Asia and Latin America by countries unilaterally making their own decisions. Once again Africa is sadly lagging behind. Despite increased access to treatment, many senior african politicians refuse to accept HIV even exists. The South African health minister insists it can be treated with garlic and by 'eating well', while the former Vice President had sex with a young woman he knew to be infected but later informed the population that this was fine because 'I had a shower'. What hope? The answer is there is no hope- Zimbabwe for instance now has a staggering 23% rate of HIV infection (SA is not far behind).
Posted by wre, Friday, 12 January 2007 8:51:03 AM
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