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Cywr
King
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Topic: No confidence vote for Annan? Posted: 19-Nov-2004 at 14:33 |
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN employees are expected to issue an
unprecedented vote of no confidence in Secretary-General Kofi Annan
(news - web sites), union sources say, after he pardoned the body's top
oversight official over a series of allegations.
The UN staff union, in what officials said was the first vote of its
kind in the more than 50-year history of the United Nations (news - web
sites), was set to approve a resolution withdrawing support for the
embattled Annan and senior UN management.
Annan has been in the line of fire over a high-profile series of
scandals including controversy about a UN aid programme that
investigators say allowed deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (news -
web sites) to embezzle billions of dollars.
Staffers said the trigger for the no-confidence measure was an
announcement this week that Annan had pardoned the UN's top oversight
official, who was facing allegations of favouritism and sexual
harassment.
The union had requested a formal probe into the behaviour of the
official, Dileep Nair, after employees accused him of harassing members
of his staff and violating UN rules on the hiring and promotion of
workers.
Top UN spokesman Fred Eckhard announced on Tuesday that Nair had been
exonerated by Annan "after a thorough review" by the UN's senior
official in charge of management, Catherine Bertini.
Annan underlined that he "had every confidence" in Nair, Eckhard said,
but UN employees ridiculed the decision and claimed that investigators
had not questioned the staff union, which first raised the complaints
in April.
"This was a whitewash, pure and simple," Guy Candusso, a senior member of the staff union, told AFP.
Candusso noted that Eckhard's declaration to the press had said that "no further action was necessary in the matter."
But in a letter sent to the union, a copy of which was obtained by AFP,
Annan's chief of staff Iqbal Riza said Nair had been "advised that he
should exercise caution" in future to "minimise the risk of negative
perception."
In a resolution set to be adopted on Friday, the union said Riza's
statement "substantiates the contention of the staff that there was
impropriety" and that there exists "a lack of integrity, particularly
at the higher levels of the organisation."
The draft resolution, also obtained exclusively by AFP, calls on the
union president to "convey this vote of no confidence to the secretary
general."
Staffers who asked not to be named, afraid that speaking out could
damage their future prospects in the United Nations, said the Nair
decision was an example of corruption by Annan and his senior staff.
They noted that Riza, UN undersecretary general for information Shashi
Tharoor and other top officials had served directly under Annan at
least since 1994, when he was head of UN peacekeeping operations.
At the time, the United Nations was widely criticised for failing to
stop the Rwanda genocide that left 800,000 people dead, even though UN
peacekeepers were on the ground -- a catastrophe for which Annan has
publicly apologised.
Annan could not be reached for immediate comment. He is currently in
Africa on a high-profile mission aimed at ending the long-running civil
war in Sudan.
The latest crisis comes as Annan faces unprecedented calls to resign
over the burgeoning scandal about "oil-for-food," a UN aid scheme that
US investigators say allowed Saddam to siphon off billions of dollars.
The programme has tainted longtime UN officials like Benon Sevan, who
oversaw the operation and is now accused of pocketing Saddam's money in
exchange for turning a blind eye to the Iraqi dictator's abuses.
Annan stands accused of obstructing US investigators, especially since
his hand-picked official Paul Volcker this week rejected calls from the
US Senate to turn over documents from the programme and waive UN staff
immunity.
Eckhard, his spokesman, on Thursday said that Annan is expected to serve out his term, which ends in 2006.
Veteran UN staff said this was the first time in history that employees
had risen up en masse to make a vote of no confidence in a sitting
secretary general.
"Kofi Annan is surrounded by corruption, a gang of criminals
responsible for some of the worst things that happened to mankind in
the 20th century," said one angry staffer, referring to the Rwanda
massacres.
"It's possible that he doesn't know directly what has gone on," said
the employee, who has worked for the United Nations for two decades.
"But that's no excuse." |
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Arrrgh!!"
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Tobodai
Tsar
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Posted: 19-Nov-2004 at 15:24 |
I personally have no confidence in Annan, he is a fool but no worse than many other in positions of power.
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"the people are nothing but a great beast...
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value."
-Alexander Hamilton
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Kubrat
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Posted: 19-Nov-2004 at 18:48 |
Well, some might say better the evil we know than the evil which might replace it....
Although personally I don't believe he has done much to 'unite' the nations of the world.
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Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
-William Shakespeare
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Guests
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Posted: 20-Nov-2004 at 07:52 |
And all this is because of a "friendly gesture"
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Genghis
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Posted: 21-Nov-2004 at 16:29 |
Originally posted by Tobodai
I personally have no confidence in Annan, he is a fool but no worse than many other in positions of power. |
I agree, and I have no confidence in the United Nations to ensure a more peaceful world.
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sephodwyrm
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Posted: 21-Nov-2004 at 20:08 |
Probably because UN is too weak. You can't expect a body that's weaker than its members to keep the peace.
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"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them"
"Not what goes into the mouth that defiles the Man, but what comes out of the mouth" Matthew 7:12, 15:11
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Guests
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 07:21 |
The UN are not too weak, its members are too strong.
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Mr Bobo
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 09:07 |
Aye, its main members are too head-strong and not really commited to
the cause, most of them are just looking out for numero uno, which is
completely understandable in today's world i suppose. Understandable
but sad nonetheless.
I cant really see the UN gaining any kind of significant power in the forseeable future, no matter who is leading them.
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Romano Nero
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 09:35 |
UN is in no position of power today. USA is constantly undermining it in the past two decades and since they have the means to ignore the UN resolutions (and help their allies - like Israel - to do the same) the UN is now nothing more than an overglorified, underachieving mamoth organization, without the real power to enforce the resolutions it produces.
It would be a much better world if a global policy could be applied to several matters (environment being the first) and if the sometimes necessary policing action would be carried out by an international (globally aknowledged) body like the UN, and not by alliances (NATO in Yugoslavia) or countries (USA in Afghanistan-Iraq) who are ignoring the UN.
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Guests
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 14:24 |
Bill Clinton in 2006! How about it?
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Genghis
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 16:47 |
Romano Nero, why do you have such faith in future, hypothetical internationalism when present, practiced internationalism has accomplished little?
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Kubrat
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 16:56 |
It's the mindset of today's world. We are raised to look with
hope for the future, to strive for bigger and better machines, better
technology. We even strive to explore the stars.
I have faith in the future too. Otherwise, why live? I
wouldn't care to go through life in that sort of depressed mood.
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Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
-William Shakespeare
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Genghis
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Posted: 22-Nov-2004 at 18:38 |
I believe in a better future, with the promises of the economy, technology, medicine, space travel, etc. However, I don't for a second but my hopes on any utopian ideas.
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Kubrat
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Posted: 23-Nov-2004 at 18:11 |
Utopian, as a word implies the fantastical. I don't believe in it
either. I believe in what hard work can achieve when people put
aside dislike and such emotions aside. I mean, look at the EU .
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Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
-William Shakespeare
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warlord
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Posted: 25-Nov-2004 at 01:26 |
Originally posted by Khasar
Bill Clinton in 2006! How about it? |
A do-nothing chief for a do-nothing UN. Perfect.
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