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| UN chief tells of Iraq war sorrow | UN chief tells of Iraq war sorrow |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| The outgoing United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has told the BBC that the situation in Iraq has become "much worse" than a civil war. | The outgoing United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has told the BBC that the situation in Iraq has become "much worse" than a civil war. |
| Mr Annan, who leaves office after 10 years on 31 December, said life for the average Iraqi was now worse than under the regime of Saddam Hussein. | Mr Annan, who leaves office after 10 years on 31 December, said life for the average Iraqi was now worse than under the regime of Saddam Hussein. |
| Expressing his sadness for being unable to prevent the war, he urged regional and international powers to help Iraq. | Expressing his sadness for being unable to prevent the war, he urged regional and international powers to help Iraq. |
| But Mr Annan urged his successor, South Korean Ban Ki-moon, to "do it his way". | But Mr Annan urged his successor, South Korean Ban Ki-moon, to "do it his way". |
| Asked by the BBC's Lyse Doucet whether the situation in Iraq could now be classified as a civil war, Mr Annan pointed to the level of "killing and bitterness" and the way forces in Iraq are now ranged against each other. | Asked by the BBC's Lyse Doucet whether the situation in Iraq could now be classified as a civil war, Mr Annan pointed to the level of "killing and bitterness" and the way forces in Iraq are now ranged against each other. |
| "A few years ago, when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war. This is much worse. | "A few years ago, when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war. This is much worse. |
| "We have a very worrisome situation in the broader Middle East," Mr Annan said, linking the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions over Iran. | "We have a very worrisome situation in the broader Middle East," Mr Annan said, linking the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Lebanon with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and tensions over Iran. |
| Tough situation | Tough situation |
| He admitted that the failure to prevent the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a major blow to the UN, one from which the organisation is only beginning to recover. | He admitted that the failure to prevent the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 was a major blow to the UN, one from which the organisation is only beginning to recover. |
| It is deeply, deeply distressing... But we do not have the resources or the will to confront the situation [in Darfur] Kofi AnnanUN Secretary General class="">Excerpt from interview Profile: Kofi Annan "It's healing but we are not there yet, it hasn't healed yet, and we feel the tension still in this organisation as a result of that." | |
| Mr Annan described the current situation in Iraq as "extremely dangerous" and empathised with the plight of ordinary Iraqis. | Mr Annan described the current situation in Iraq as "extremely dangerous" and empathised with the plight of ordinary Iraqis. |
| "If I were an average Iraqi obviously I would make the same comparison, that they had a dictator who was brutal but they had their streets, they could go out, their kids could go to school and come back home without a mother or father worrying, 'Am I going to see my child again?' | "If I were an average Iraqi obviously I would make the same comparison, that they had a dictator who was brutal but they had their streets, they could go out, their kids could go to school and come back home without a mother or father worrying, 'Am I going to see my child again?' |
| "The society needs security and a secure environment for it to get on - without security not much can be done - not recovery or reconstruction." | "The society needs security and a secure environment for it to get on - without security not much can be done - not recovery or reconstruction." |
| 'No will' | 'No will' |
| Mr Annan, a Ghanaian who joined the UN in 1962, became the first African secretary-general at the start of 1997. | Mr Annan, a Ghanaian who joined the UN in 1962, became the first African secretary-general at the start of 1997. |
| Kofi Annan gave the BBC a special interview as he leaves officeThe years before his appointment were marred by the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. | Kofi Annan gave the BBC a special interview as he leaves officeThe years before his appointment were marred by the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. |
| Although the UN vowed "never again" in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and killings at Srebrenica, the organisation has been unable to end a three-year crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, where more than 200,000 people are thought to have died. | Although the UN vowed "never again" in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide and killings at Srebrenica, the organisation has been unable to end a three-year crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, where more than 200,000 people are thought to have died. |
| "It is deeply, deeply disappointing and it's tragic," said Mr Annan. "But we do not have the resources or the will to confront the situation." | "It is deeply, deeply disappointing and it's tragic," said Mr Annan. "But we do not have the resources or the will to confront the situation." |
| He pledged to work towards a solution in Darfur, which Sudan's government has refused to allow UN peacekeepers to enter, until his very last moment in office. | He pledged to work towards a solution in Darfur, which Sudan's government has refused to allow UN peacekeepers to enter, until his very last moment in office. |
| And he was clear in his advice to Mr Ban, the South Korean diplomat who will pick up the reins at the UN's New York headquarters on 1 January. | And he was clear in his advice to Mr Ban, the South Korean diplomat who will pick up the reins at the UN's New York headquarters on 1 January. |
| "He should do it his way. I did it my way, my predecessors did it their way and he should do it his way." | "He should do it his way. I did it my way, my predecessors did it their way and he should do it his way." |