Iraqi Foreign Minister Blasts U.N.

The foreign minister of Iraq’s provisional government, Hoshyar Zebari, delivered an address to the U.N. Security Council today, in which he criticized the U.N.’s failure to help the Iraqi people:
“One year ago, the Security Council was divided between those who wanted to appease Saddam Hussein and those who wanted to hold him accountable,” Zebari said. “The UN as an organisation failed to help rescue the Iraqi people from a murderous tyranny of 35 years. The UN must not fail the Iraqi people again.”
Kofi Annan responded that it is “no time to pin blame and point fingers.” Denying any U.N. responsibility for the suffering of Iraq’s people, he said: “I think the UN has done as much as it can for Iraq. So quite honestly I don’t think today is the time to hurl accusations.”
Actually, I think he’s probably right. The U.N. did do as much as it could for the Iraqis, which was nothing. Whether it can do anything going forward is, I think, very doubtful.

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