So Mr Annan will not renew his mandate on Syria that will expire at the end of the month. According to the BBC "In a news conference, he said the Syrian people "desperately need action" but criticised the UN Security Council for "finger-pointing and name-calling".
Great discovery. It took him six months to discover this, more than three and a half month to realize that his peace plan had not materialized (due mid-April) and would never materialize.
The regrets about his leaving by Putin (sic), that useless UN SG Ban Ki Moon, the Syrian foreign minister, UN Russian and American ambassadors mean nothing since these people are the most guilty for the situation in Syria.
Staying in his post for so long gave the opportunity to the Syrian regime to increase repression, killing more civilians, ignoring the aspirations of the Syrian people to end a 41 year family regime. The stupidity of the UN observers' mission to Syria, 300 people for 185,000 km2 (one per 600km2!) was another window dressing exercise that simply enabled Assad to increase repression. Not to talk about the risible EU sanctions towards Syria and the main representatives of its regime.
Annan should have resigned long ago, should have opposed the observers' mission, and, for a change should have had some dignity.
No wonder the Syrian people did not regret his departure, they who fight dictatorship and die for their freedom.
When Annan was appointed special envoy, I jumped but kept silent since miracles happen. I had no illusion but decided to wait and see. And what I expected happened, Annan acted as a diplomat, "brilliant diplomat and honest man" said Putin. This is enough to say that Annan, as usual, took good care of his image and reputation but failed in his mission.
I have known him since the mid-seventies and, apart once, I was never impressed by him. The one time was when he went to Iraq to prevent US bombing. We thought that he had succeeded and we, UN staff, greeted his (and his suave wife) in New York upon his return from Bagdad. But it did not work for long ...just gave more time to the US to prepare the war.
I will never forget that he had undermined the authority of the UN by letting many countries infiltrate so called gratis personnelf (all from their intelligence) in his department of peace keeping operations just not to refuse more mandates when he knew he did not have the resources to fulfil them; nor that he had sold that Department to France, a permanent member of the Security Council, to be elected UN SG in 1996; nor the fact that in spite of his statement that he would not seek re-election, he gladly "accepted" a second term; nor the way he dumped, literally, his very long standing assistant and advisor, E. L. for placing someone useful to his re-election in his cabinet; nor how he dumped a long standing high level official who had served him in difficult situation, B.S., for alleged corruption in the Oil for Food program ( 35 million dollars expenditures by the Volker Commission to find out that someone had not well justified 150,000$ income).
A too good diplomat to be efficient. Very successful since he kept a good reputation selling his soul to the main powers. A disaster for the UN, his ten year tenure was a good base for the current useless successor who continues in the mission to destroy what good is left of the UN.
Putin, Lavrov, Hu Jintao, Assad and Kofi Annan have the direct responsibility for the blood of the tens of thousands civilians and soldiers who fight the Syrian dictator. But the Arab leaders, France and the UK and USA are not less guilty.
Kofi Annan gave an opportunity to Russia, China and Assad to hide their cruelty and disregard for freedom behind his diplomacy. Let us hope that his belated departure will bring real change.
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