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Fifth Column
The Oregonian: Kofi Annan should resign
2004-12-08
It matters little that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan might be completely innocent of any criminal wrongdoing in the United Nations' oil-for-food scandal. He is the man ultimately responsible for one of the biggest humanitarian aid efforts in history, which turned into one of the biggest financial rip-offs in history. As such, Annan has lost all credibility as leader of the world body. Its viability, in fact, may depend on his willingness to step down soon.

The United Nations' image already was reeling last month amid reports that it is investigating about 150 allegations of sexual abuse by U.N. civilian staff and peacekeeping soldiers in Congo. Then came Annan's acknowledgment last week that he was "surprised and disappointed" by revelations that his son had received $125,000 in vague "consulting" payments from a Swiss company that won a lucrative contract under the oil-for-food program. The secretary-general's professed shock upon discovering his son's involvement suggests gross inattention to duty, if not gross ineptitude. That's also true of Annan's unequivocal denials that he ever had any specific knowledge of any of the fraudulent deals being made while the mess of a program was operating under the guidance of his right-hand man. In other words, while he was failing to pay attention, as much as $10 billion in humanitarian aid -- money intended for food and medicine for Iraqi civilians -- slipped quietly as kickbacks and bribes into the pockets of corrupt opportunists all over the world.

Annan appointed an independent panel to investigate. The committee ended up toothless, however, when the U.N. Security Council balked at letting it take sworn testimony and gain access to the corrupt U.N. contracts. Now we have committees in the U.S. Senate and House conducting their own hearings on the scandal. The work is going slowly, thanks in part to Annan's lack of enthusiasm in giving congressional investigators access to documents and key U.N. officials. Last week, an exasperated Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., chairman of the Senate subcommittee that's been on the case for months, called for Annan's resignation. Coleman is right. Even though the investigation is far from over, it's already clear that the colossal corruption that occurred on Kofi Annan's watch has rendered him completely incapable of leading the United Nations back toward respectability.
Posted by:Mrs. Davis

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