Annan Resists Calls to Send U.N. Staff Back to Baghdad

[Barrett808]

Annan Resists Calls to Send U.N. Staff Back to Baghdad
By WARREN HOGE

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 26 — It is the quick-fix remedy prescribed by many critics of the American-led effort in Iraq — send in the United Nations.

For Europeans, the United Nations' presence would provide a global-law seal of approval and a counterweight to American influence.

For the American-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, it would introduce a notion of outside acceptance.

Public opinion surveys of Americans showing 60 percent approving of President Bush's conduct of the Iraq operation also show nearly 70 percent of those polled calling for greater United Nations activity there. Even the United Nations-wary Bush administration has joined in the calls for the world body to get more involved right away.

Yet, with these urgent summonses coming into its New York headquarters from all sides, the United Nations itself is resisting.

(more)

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/international/middleeast/28NATI.html?pagewanted=all

[Mikimouse]

1. Annan is not stupid enough to give in to *

Why should he? The UN didn't start this moron's venture, so it shouldn't sacrifice its diplomats to bail out the * administration. If anything, the UN should be involved in Iraq only so far as to assemble the legal case against the * administration in the Hague.

[FloridaPat]

2. Everyone but the Americans knows it's a ploy for the election.

After the election, it's going to go right back to being a country for sale. They killing they are doing in ours names is disgusting. This is the Vietnam War all over again, run by a greedy idiot. It will get much worse if he is elected.

[abelenkpe]

3. You mean re-selected?

I find it interesting that there are all these negative polls and articles claiming that the Democrats can't win against Bush when he clearly lost the popular election. What we need to do is to concentrate on getting more Democrats out to vote in controversial states like Florida and to pressure our leaders into making sure that the next election will have verifiable results and the Democrats can win. We should not give into the pessimism surrounding the next election. Democrats are the majority. So write to your representatives today and encourage them to make sure our votes really count in the next election.

[Barrett808]

4. But "9-11 changed everything"

Or so the Andrew Sullivans would have us believe.