Kofi Annan is throwing a monkey wrench at the peace process
By: Esayas Temesgen
October 28, 2005

It seems that the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan has forgotten that his role is that of a secretariat, but not a general:  Kofi Annan in the past weeks is seen intimidating and coercing Eritrea, instead of helping resolve its quest for rule of Law-- regarding the breaching of the "Algiers" treaty by Ethiopia in their border conflict.

Mr. Annan is abusing article 99 of the charter--that provides him an authority to bring to the attention of the Security Council matters that threatens international peace and security.  Certainly, the case of Eritrea and Ethiopia border conflict had such a magnitude to alarm the World community to act responsibly.  Accordingly the World major powers and organization have given ample weight to the matter and were involved in resolving the conflict by engaging both nations through an intensive dialogue -- to commit themselves to inter a treaty and abide by the outcome. 

Nonetheless, Mr. Kofi Annan has shown arrogance towards this noble achievement of governments and international bodies such as... the EU; US-congress; the OAU and the UN Security Council. 

In this case when a member nation Ethiopia contravene treaties, final and binding rulings and aggressively threatens the sovereignty of another member nation; The secretary would have been obliged to call on the attention of the Security Council -- to deal with Ethiopia's intransigence of the Algiers' treaty. To the contrary he rather chooses to defy his obligations and responsibilities to ally with the aggressor and at times act as lobbyist.

In-reality by doing what he is doing -- Annan is succeeding in dragging the conflict by diverting attention from the international community, when it is glued to the issue. This in itself undermines his integrity as a secretariat.

It is shame that this secretary-General An African himself would bully a small African Nation that has just come out of a long bloody war with Ethiopia, and genuinely occupied to rehabilitate from it -- through self reliance by putting effective programs and constructing an extensive infrastructural scheme: such as roads, schools, hospitals, bridges, water-wells, dams and a significant agricultural projects. 

It is on the record that Kofi Annan rather than upholding the value of the UN and act as its moral authority-has been abusing the power of this mammoth organization by engaging in deals and cover-up with profiteers. In which he was implicated in the allegation of UN's Iraq-oil for food scandal of 2004.  That in fact has dented his credibility to summon the political will of the member nations.