|
Kofi Annan: Iraq 'Much Worse' Than Civil
War
4.12.2006
|
|
|
|
BAGHDAD, December
4, -- The current situation in Iraq is "much
worse" than civil war, the outgoing United Nations
secretary-general said in an interview with the
British Broadcasting Corp. broadcast Monday.
Calling the situation "extremely dangerous," Kofi
Annan said that the international community must
help the country to rebuild because he is uncertain
Iraq can accomplish it on its own.
"Given the level of violence, the level of killing
and bitterness and the way that forces are arranged
against each other, a few years ago, when we had the
strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a
civil war; this is much worse," Annan said.
Last week, when asked by reporters if Iraq was in
civil war, Annan — whose second five-year term as
secretary-general ends Dec. 31 — said "almost."
"I think given the developments on the ground,
unless something is done drastically and urgently to
arrest the deteriorating situation, we could be
there. In fact we are almost there," he said last
week. |
Kofi Annan, United Nations secretary-general |
President Bush, and members of his cabinet, have
thus far refused to label the strife in Iraq as a
civil war, saying instead that the sectarian
violence is being driven by an al Qaeda plot to
foment religious hatred.
During the interview with the BBC world service,
Annan agreed when it was suggested that some Iraqis
believe life is worse now than it was under Saddam
Hussein's regime.
"I think they are right in the sense of the average
Iraqi's life," Annan said. "If I were an average
Iraqi obviously I would make the same comparison,
that they had a dictator who was brutal but they had
their streets, they could go out, their kids could
go to school and come back home without a mother or
father worrying, 'Am I going to see my child again?'
"And the Iraqi government has not been able to bring
the violence under control. The society needs
security and a secure environment for it to get on —
without security not much can be done — not recovery
or reconstruction."
In Baghdad, President Jalal Talabani on Sunday
rejected Annan's suggestion last week that an
international conference be held to address Iraq's
violence, echoing sentiments expressed by other
leading politicians.
Talabani, a Kurd, holds a largely ceremonial post,
But his comments echoed those voiced by other
politicians, including a leader from Iraq's Shiite
Muslim majority, which is the dominant force in the
U.S.-backed government.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari questioned the aim
of such a conference, saying it would only be
welcome if it supported current efforts to solve
Iraq's security problems and assist the government.
Also denouncing the idea of an international
conference on the future of Iraq is Abdul-Aziz
al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top Shiite politicians.
Al-Hakim meets Monday with President Bush in
Washington. CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela
Falk says al-Hakim is likely, nonetheless, to
support the idea of talks with Iran as part of the
effort to stop the sectarian bloodshed in Iraq.
Annan's assessment comes after an unusually deadly
weekend for U.S. troops in the war-torn country, and
with news Monday of at least six Iraqis dying in
fresh attacks.
CBS
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 