As he prepares to leave office after 10 years, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke to the BBC about his sorrow at not being able to prevent the war in Iraq, and described the violence there as “much worse” than civil war.

BBC:

Asked by the BBC’s Lyse Doucet whether the situation in Iraq could now be classified as a civil war, Mr Annan pointed to the level of “killing and bitterness” and the way forces in Iraq are now ranged 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.

“We have a very worrisome situation in the broader Middle East,” Mr Annan said, linking the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions over Iran.

…

“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?’

Link

 Wait, before you go…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

Support Truthdig
In this Article:
#darfur#kofi annan#un#united nations