On
Syria, Kofi
Quits, Leaving
Envoy Post on
August 31 as
Saudi Draft
"Disses" Him
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 2 --
"Kofi is a
quitter." So
said a
prominent
Non-Aligned
Movement
diplomat to
Inner City
Press,
following the
news that Kofi
Annan would
not renew his
contract as
Joint Envoy on
Syria on
August 31.
Since
Annan is both
a negotiator
and "player,"
as the NAM
diplomat put
it, some
wondered if
this might be
a way to
pressure for
a stronger
mandate -- "or
at least to
take out of
the Saudi
resolution the
'dissing' of
Kofi's work."
Back
on July 31, a
non-NAM
diplomat told
Inner City
Press that the
Saudi
draft's
Paragraph 20
is
"disrespectful"
to Annan,
directing
him to "focus
his efforts."
Paragraph 21,
calling on
countries to
adopt
sanctions like
the Arab
League, has
since been
removed. But
the dig at
Kofi remains.
Inner
City Press
asked Russian
Permanent
Representative
Vitaly Churkin
about this
paragraph. He
said is was an
attempt to
"re-draft"
Kofi Annan's
mandate, and
that Russia
will vote
against the
resolution.
The Chinese
delegation
told Inner
City Press,
the Six Point
Plan is still
alive.
But Kofi is,
or will be,
gone.
When
Annan took the
post, he
brought in a
team of
questionable
ex-UN
officials. Alan Doss, who
left amid a
nepotism
scandal. Nicolas
Michel, who
violated the
UN charter by
taking money
from
Switzerland
for his
$12,000 a
month Park
Avenue
apartment
while
ostensibly
serving and
being paid
only by the
UN.
Annan's
spokesman
Ahmad Fawzi
assured Inner
City Press
that these
were just
temporary, but
never followed
up with
promised
information on
who was
in Annan's
"toolbox" of
consultants.
Nor would he
or the
Kofi Annan
Foundation
answer if the
Foundation
raised money
off
Annan's Syria
work.
Still,
Annan
is not only
articulate but
more
"balanced," in
UN
parlance, than
pro-West Ban
Ki-moon. He
managed to
navigate
between
Russia and
China on one
side, and the
Western P3 on
the other, at
least for a
time.
Increasingly,
there were
Western
grumbles about
Kofi. And now
he is leaving.
Watch this
site.
Footnote:
this story was
held to see if
new President
of the
Security
Council for
August Gerard
Araud of
France would
at least
answer one
question about
Annan when he
came to the
stakeout.
But no.
As he did
fifteen months
ago, when he
did only three
Q&A
stakeouts in
the whole
month
(compared to
elevent by
Colombia's
Nestor Osorio
last month),
Araud read a
Congo press
statement in
French, then
left when his
spokesman read
it out in
English. He
said he'll
take questions
-- on the
Congo? -- at
12:30. We'll
see: watch
this site.
, 
