never thought of that...call the UN....

[Guest guest]

>

>How Kofi Annan Can Stop the War

>by Paul F. deLespinasse

>

>According to recent reports, the United States may be about to warn the

>U.N. inspectors and reporters to leave Iraq within three days. The purpose

>of this warning will be to protect the inspectors and reporters from harm

>when U.S. forces attack Iraq, perhaps late this week.

>

>The situation provides an interesting opportunity for U.N. Secretary

>General Kofi Annan. If the U.S. issues the expected warning, he can and

>should announce that the U.S. has no authority to evict the inspectors, who

>are United Nations employees. Furthermore, Annan can say that he will not

>withdraw the inspectors from Iraq unless he is ordered to do so by the U.N.

>Security Council or the inspectors report that they are not being allowed

>to do their job.

>

>Any effort to get the Security Council to order the inspectors out under

>current circumstances would undoubtedly fail, and if by some miracle it did

>get the needed nine votes it would certainly be vetoed by France, Russia,

>or China.

>

>Such an announcement by the Secretary General would have three very

>beneficial consequences. First, it is unlikely that President Bush and his

>advisors would proceed with an attack, which would be a public relations

>nightmare as long as the inspectors are still in Iraq.

>

>Second, the announcement would not undermine the work of the inspectors,

>but could even increase their clout, and that of the Secretary General,

>vis-B-vis Saddam Hussein. As long as they remain, the inspectors would

>protect Iraq from an American attack, but if not given carte blanche to do

>their work they will leave.

>

>Third, the announcement would become a precedent for greatly enhanced power

>to be exercised by the Secretary General of the United Nations. This person

>is the closest thing we have to a chief executive for the world, and he is

>in a position from which it is natural to consider the welfare of the

>people of the world as a whole.

>

>Until now, the veto power enjoyed by the five permanent members of the

>Security Council (U.S., Great Britain, France, Russia, and China) has

>generally been considered to be a limit on the power of the United

>Nations. However, by assuming the power to act on behalf of the human race

>unless the Security Council tells him he cannot, the Secretary General can

>make the veto work to increase his own power, and thus the power of the

>United Nations.

>

>Wouldn't it be wonderful if today's tragic world conditions provided the

>opening for a great leap forward in our world institutions! If he seizes

>the opportunity fate has given him, Kofi Annan may well go down in history

>as a "Machiavelli for peace," one of the greatest people of the twenty

>first century. And it will be the Bush Administration that made it all

>possible!

>

>Paul F. deLespinasse is professor emeritus of political science at Adrian

>College in Michigan.

>He can be reached at pdeles.

>

>You can email a message to the UN at: inquiries

>

>or write:

>Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General

>United Nations, S-378

>New York, NY 10017

>

>or phone:

>

>Secretary General

>Kofi Annan

>Headquarters:

>1st ave. and 46th street

>New York, NY 10017 USA

>Tel: 1 (212) 963 1234

>Fax: 1 (212) 963 4879

>

>A sample message that can be pasted into an email is given below:

>

>Dear Mr. Secretary General,

>

>If the United States warns the U.N. inspectors to leave Iraq because of an

>imminent attack, please announce that the U.S. has no authority to evict

>the inspectors, who are United Nations employees. Furthermore, tell the

>United States that you will not withdraw the inspectors from Iraq unless

>you are ordered to do so by the U.N. Security Council or the inspectors

>report that they are not being allowed to do their job. Please use your

>authority to stop this war, which has many potentially disastrous

>consequences. Thank you for your consideration.

>

>