March 29, 2004

U.N.'s Credibility At Breaking Point

Sheesh - it's dogpile on the UN night... This entry comes from InterPress Service News Agency and opens with this: bq. The United Nations' continued engagement in Iraq -- largely under U.S. pressure -- is not only testing the credibility of the world body but also taking a toll on its Secretariat staff in New York. bq. An investigation into security lapses in the deaths of 22 international employees in the bombing of the U.N. compound in Baghdad last August triggered the resignation Monday of the second highest ranking official in the Secretariat, the firing of the U.N. security coordinator, and the forced resignation of the humanitarian coordinator for Iraq. And this: bq. The crisis over the security failures in the occupied nation comes on top of a growing scandal over the systematic abuse of the U.N.'s multi-billion-dollar oil-for-food programme there. bq. The Secretariat has been accused of turning a blind eye to possible kickbacks whilst the former Saddam Hussein government allegedly pocketed over 10 billion dollars in smuggled oil revenues and illicit proceeds -- all under U.N. supervision. And this wonderful quote from James E. Jennings, president of Conscience International: bq. ''Whatever his gifts as a diplomat, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has allowed the giants to play ninepins with the future of world peace without ever raising his voice above a whisper, while the very heart and soul of the institution was gutted,'' he said. The cracks in the shell are getting wider and light is starting to shine in on the festering pile within... More, faster, now please! Posted by DaveH at March 29, 2004 10:39 PM