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Annan to Meet With Iraqi Council in Jan.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Sir Robin the Fair Secretary-General Kofi Annan will meet with leaders of the Iraqi Governing Council on Jan. 19 to try to pin down the currently non-existent United Nations’ role as Iraq moves to self-government, a U.N. spokesman said. The spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said Annan hopes officials from the U.S. coalition running the country will attend.
"Melvin! On the double!"
"Yes Mr. Secretary?"
"I have a meeting for you to attend. You, the governing council and Kofi."
"Why not send Skippy? He’s the new intern, might be good for him."
"Not a bad thought, Melvin, not bad at all."
Annan said last week he needed "a three-way conversation" to clarify what the coalition and the Iraqis want the United Nations to do, especially in the coming months before an Iraqi transitional government is handed power at the end of June.
"Just stay out of our way!"
Last week, deputy U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli stressed that the Governing Council - and not the coalition - should be at the forefront of any discussions with the United Nations. A senior U.S. official in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity, repeated that view Wednesday. Eckhard said Wednesday that Annan would be "happy to do" separate meetings with the Governing Council and the coalition if necessary, but "his preference would be for one," and he hopes a representative of the Coalition Provisional Authority will come to New York on Jan. 19.
Kofi sure shows his lack of spine, doesn’t he?
Adnan Pachachi, who will be the Governing Council’s president in January, accepted the invitation and said he will attend with the current council president, Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, and the president for February, Massoud Barzani.

Part of the U.N. concern stems from the November agreement between the Governing Council and the coalition on a timetable for the transfer of power to a provisional government with general elections by the end of 2005. The agreement makes no mention of the United Nations - a point Annan noted last Thursday when asked about "suspicions" that L. Paul Bremer, head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, and the Governing Council don’t want a meaningful role for the United Nations.
"Melvin! Didn’t we talk about being subtle with the UN?"
"Yes we did, but each time we tried it went over their heads."
"You know how I hate having to be obvious like this, Melvin."
"It’s either this way or nothing gets done, sir."
"There have been some questions about whether this was an omission or was it a message," Annan said. "This is something we will have to clarify when we sit down."
[sigh]"Okay Melvin, I concede the pont. Bring out the Clue-Bat™."
The secretary-general pulled all U.N. international staff out of Iraq in October after two bombings at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad and a series of attacks on humanitarian organizations. Annan considers the security situation too dangerous for their return but hopes it will improve after the hand over of power.
Brac-c-k-k-k-k-k, buck-buck-buck!
While the Bush administration wants to get U.N. staff back in Iraq quickly, U.N. officials indicate that Annan will likely stick to his current plan for the United Nations to operate out of Cyprus and Jordan.
They’re just as ineffective in Cyprus as they’ll be in Baghdad.
Annan has said once he hears from the Governing Council and the coalition, he will determine the U.N. role.
"We shall oppose from afar!"
Posted by: Steve White 2003-12-25
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=23347