April 07, 2005

Kofi's Last Stand

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From The Australian: Annan comes out fighting with rallying call to troops. (Via InstaPundit)

KOFI Annan has summoned all UN staff to a meeting today in an effort to shore up his crumbling leadership of the organisation. The UN Secretary-General will address several thousand officials crammed into the General Assembly hall, where world leaders meet every northern autumn, and thousands more by video link around the world.

Aides say the embattled UN chief will deliver a "pep talk" in an attempt to buoy the spirits of UN personnel after a series of scandals, including last week's oil-for-food report criticising Mr Annan and his son, Kojo. He is expected to tout his recently released reform agenda, In Larger Freedom, which calls for institutional changes to revive the organisation. ...

Mr Annan is facing widespread scepticism about his claim that an independent inquiry into the oil-for-food scandal "exonerated" him. Two members of the three-member commission of inquiry have publicly challenged the UN's spin on their report, noting that it faulted him for management lapses.

UPDATE I -- April 12: This cartoon will appears in today's (Tuesday's) The Detroit News.

Posted by Forkum at April 7, 2005 09:45 PM
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