by Judi Mcleod
February 2, 2004
Political pundits ponder the coming of Kofi annan to Canadian Parliament in March. Indeed, the raison d'etre of Kofi’s official Canadian visit is being contemplated well beyond the borders of Canada’s next door neighbour, the United States.
Why has Paul Martin asked the United Nations Secretary General to visit Canada?
One does not have to be a Nicolo Machivelli or even the proverbial Philadelphia lawyer to understand the reason.
The reason can be found under that mushroom cloud known as the fine art of ‘morphing’.
In his parlay to the press, Kofi annan will portray Paul Martin as a world leader rather than blather on about his recent arrival to the office of Canadian Prime Minister.
Kofi’s coming is, of course, a slap in the face to our american cousins; a slap in the face United Nations style. a do-nothing–(substance wise), diplomatic and just like the United Nations, long on bureaucracy kind of slap in the face.
Does it irk Kofi that, in terms of star presentation by the Canadian Prime Minister's Office, he’s second, after Irish rocker Bono who made the keynote address when Martin became PM at a Liberal convention?
For all of his save-the-environment rants, Bono is a bigger man of action, than the secretary general of the UN is.
Canadian cronyism at the United Nations runs deep.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien was so big on the UN; his aspirations were to someday replace Kofi.
"…Canada’s Prime Minister Jean Chretien, wants to allow Secretary General Kofi annan, and the United Nations to dictate our foreign policy, and with whom we will be allied. and that’s a tragedy," stated galganov.com in a 2002 editorial.
But Chretien’s yet-to-be-tested-by-voter successor is pushing the UN envelope even further.
What kind of role model is Martin offering the Canadian populace from parliament?
ask Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, whom only a week ago was testifying against the leaders of a latter day genocide.
In 1994, Kofi annan was the head of the United Nations PeaceKeeping Forces. as the senior UN military leader responsible for UN troops in Rwanda, General Dallaire reported directly to Kofi annan.
General Dallaire, who took his job to heart, had received incontestable proof that the Rwandan Hutus, encouraged by the Hutu-led government, were planning a genocidal campaign against the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Dallaire first collected the facts, then presented them to Kofi with a well-laid out plan for intervention. Kofi annan refused to take action.
The result was a human tragedy that oceans will never wash away. The direct result of Kofi annan and the UN’s decision to ignore General Dallaire, was as many as, and possibly more than 800,000 dead Tutsis, and some moderate Hutus massacred, many of them hacked to death by machete-wielding Hutu children.
Rwanda is not the only bloodbath that can be laid at the doorstep of Kofi annan and the UN.
One year after Rwanda, the same Kofi annan, in the same position of UN authority, refused to allow his UN troops to intervene in mostly Moslem Srebrenica, where Serbs were creating genocide.
Colonel Ton Karremans, the Dutch commander counterpart of General Dallaire suffered the same UN fate. His requests to UN headquarters for air support were repeatedly denied. and as yet another result of Kofi annan’s reluctance to do his job, it is estimated by conservative figures, that more than 7,000 people died in Srebrenica.
Kofi annan’s record of inaction goes all the way up to the year 2002’s Iraq-versus-the-World chapter. But we leave it to Paul Martin to toot Kofi’s horn.
So, you may be asking how were Kofi and the UN "punished" for their complicity in these horrors. Well, they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001 to be equally shared between them. a prize and cash, which galganov.com, says (are) "both dripping with blood".
Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by European journalists, General Romeo Dallaire, who spent some of his time tormented by his own memories on a park bench, had been turned down.
Every century has its Pontius Pilate and Kofi annan and the UN qualify for the 21st.
Meanwhile, Kofi annan’s March mission to portray Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin as a debuting world leader is destined to fail.
It is impossible to design a world leader. You can only be one.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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