UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, NOV 07 - Not that one expects anything else or less about the world’s most respected and topmost bureaucrat, still it’s heartening to unravel the depth of knowledge of such a personality meeting him live.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan whose stature has only increased among the world’s leaders and statesmen for standing up to the United States’ pressure on Iraq knew what was going on in Asia, Africa and Latin America, regions marked by internal strife, civil war and full-fledged war itself.
The day (Tuesday afternoon) he was to depart for the four South American nations, Annan met, among others, the four Dag Hammarskjold Fellows for 2003 (this reporter being one of the four) and patiently replied the questions put forward for him.
A routine photo opportunity was elevated to a sort of press meet by the Secretary General’s generosity.
Responding to a question on United Nations’ role in Nepal where violence has escalated after the breakdown of the cease-fire, Annan made it a point to reiterate his earlier concern about the deteriorating situation in the Hindu Kingdom and expressed the hope that normalcy would be restored soon.
He revealed that UN had indeed offered its good offices in helping to resolve the eight-year old conflict that has claimed now almost 10,000 lives. "We have offered our help but the government said that they want to deal with the situation themselves," said Annan replying to a question whether any specific UN role was offered. "Unless both the parties want us to play a role, we cannot do that."
Annan added that the United Nations was watching the developments in the Himalayan Kingdom very closely and was willing to step in whenever asked by the parties to do so.
During his brief interaction with the four journalists – the other three were from Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone and Guatemala – the Secretary General expressed his concern about the situation in the last two mentioned countries as well as demonstrating that he was aware of the latest political turmoil in Sri Lanka where the President suspended the parliament and dismissed three ministers while the Prime Minister is in Washington DC.
Annan voiced the UN’s dilemma over prioritising between peace and justice in war-torn Sierra Leone. "If we go after bad guys, then the good ones get neglected."Posted on: 2003-11-06 08:03

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