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So Chimpie went to war, not to impress daddy, but to defend the authority of the UN and its resolutions. Now the UN is ungrateful, too. First the Iraqis, now the UN. Maybe the solution is to go to just declare war on the world and take over the whole darn thing. We'll show 'em!!!!
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Iraq war allies lash out at Annan
Key states who joined the US-led invasion of Iraq have rejected claims by the United Nations Secretary-General that the war was illegal.
Kofi Annan told the BBC the decision to take action in Iraq contravened the UN charter and should have been made by the Security Council, not unilaterally.
But Australia's Prime Minister John Howard said it was entirely valid.
And a former Bush administration aide, Randy Scheunemann, branded Mr Annan's comments "outrageous".
The UK and Japanese governments also responded sharply.
'Political interference'
Mr Howard, fighting a cliffhanger re-election battle, insisted the invasion was legal.
I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal, said Kofi Annan
Labelling the international body "paralysed", he said it was incapable of dealing with international crises.
"The legal advice we had - and I tabled it at the time - was that the action was entirely valid in international law terms," he said.
Randy Scheunemann, a former advisor to the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, accused Mr Annan of trying to influence the outcome of the forthcoming US presidential election.
"I think it is outrageous for the Secretary-General, who ultimately works for the member states, to try and supplant his judgement for the judgement of the member states," he told the BBC.
"To do this 51 days before an American election reeks of political interference," Randy Scheunemann said.
He said the UN's failure to act in Sudan, and in other areas around the world, was proving that effective multilateralism may be a contradiction in terms.
'Painful lessons'
The British government - which has argued that UN resolutions provided a legal basis for intervening to topple Saddam Hussein - said the 2003 invasion was "not only lawful but necessary". "We spelt out at the time our reasons for believing the conflict in Iraq was indeed lawful and why we believed it was necessary to uphold those UN resolutions," Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt told the BBC.
Japan's top government spokesperson told a news conference that he would be seeking clarification about the exact significance of Mr Annan's words.
"We wish to verify the real meaning by making various inquiries," Hiroyuki Hosoda told a news conference, Agence France Presse reported.
Mr Annan said in an interview with the BBC World Service that "painful lessons" had been learnt since the war in Iraq.
"Lessons for the US, the UN and other member states. I think in the end everybody's concluded it's best to work together with our allies and through the UN," he said.
Elections loom
Mr Annan told the BBC: "I hope we do not see another Iraq- type operation for a long time - without UN approval and much broader support from the international community."
He said he believed there should have been a second UN resolution following Iraq's failure to comply over weapons inspections.
You can not have credible elections if the security conditions continue as they are now, said Kofi Annan
And it should have been up to the Security Council to approve or determine the consequences, he added.
When pressed on whether he viewed the invasion of Iraq as illegal, he said: "Yes, if you wish. I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter from our point of view, from the charter point of view, it was illegal."
Mr Annan also warned security in Iraq must considerably improve if credible elections are to be held in January.
The BBC's Susannah Price at UN headquarters in New York says Mr Annan has made similar comments before.
He has always said the invasion did not conform with the UN charter - phrasing that was seen as a diplomatic way of saying the war was illegal.
Our correspondent says Mr Annan's relationship with the US might be made a little uncomfortable for a while following his comments, but both sides are likely to want to play it down.
US President George W Bush is due to speak at the UN General Assembly next week.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/1/hi/world/middle_east/3661736.stm
Published: 2004/09/16 11:48:44 GMT
© BBC MMIV
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