In his speech to the general assembly in New York, out- going UN secretary-general Kofi Annan made pernicious attacks on the US government. He accused it of being an inconsiderate bully and an obstacle to improving the fortunes of the progressive forces of the world.

In his speech to the general assembly in New York, out- going UN secretary-general Kofi Annan made pernicious attacks on the US government. He accused it of being an inconsiderate bully and an obstacle to improving the fortunes of the progressive forces of the world.

Annan shifts the blame to Washington for his lack of action on crucial matters. The reality is that he is as guilty of complicity as the US is guilty of the crime of non-cooperation in efforts to make the world a better place.

It is, therefore, on the shoulders of multilateral bodies such as the UN, the EU, the Commonwealth and the African Union to exert pressure on the US to do the right thing. In his long tenure as head of the UN, Annan let down the poor and troubled people of the world.

He not only danced but sang to the neo-capitalist tune of the same US he now portrays as the source of all evils. Annan never mustered enough courage to parallel that of Castro, Mugabe, Ahmadinejad, Morales or Chavez to tell Washington where to get off.

The failure of the Kyoto Protocol, countless UN security council resolutions on the Middle East as well as Darfur, Rwanda and Somalia cannot be blamed on the US solely. A quiet exit would have been the best strategy, but muddying the waters is bad for UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon's reception.

Teboho Katze

Braamfontein