Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan fired back at comments GOP vice presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) made about his Syria peace efforts during the debate this month with Vice President Joe Biden.
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria talked with Annan yesterday in an interview that will air tomorrow.
Annan called it “a piece of unmitigated nonsense, in effect, saying don’t even try to resolve it peacefully, don’t give the Syrians hope, give weapons and let’s kill each other.”
“You know who — who said that?” Zakaria said. “At the vice presidential debate, Paul Ryan named you and he said the administration put their faith in Kofi Annan and that was the problem.”
“No. And he was dead wrong. He was dead wrong. Honestly, this is one of the first situations where I’ve seen people claim that attempt to mediate complicates or allows more killing to go on. And in almost every situation, we try to find a peaceful solution. If it works, well and good. You save people,” Annan said.
In the Danville, Ky., debate, Ryan said, “We could have more easily identified the free Syrian army, the freedom fighters, working with our allies, the Turks, the Qataris, the Saudis, had we had a better plan in place to begin with working through our allies. But, no, we waited for Kofi Annan to try and come up with an agreement through the U.N. That bought Bashar Assad time.”
“Now, you have Syrians who are living through incredible traumas. And they are the ones we should be crying for, not making statements of don’t attempt to resolve it peacefully,” Annan said. “If they were to go in with a military intervention — and by the way, I don’t sense any agency of countries wanting to rush in and intervene. Yes, some are sending in weapons. But that is quite different from the kind of intervention.”
“But sometimes by making these statements and raising the hope of the people that the cavalry is on the horizon, you complicate the situation and really — and create the fighting and the killing to go on. And if it’s not going to come, one should look at other solutions,” he added.
Annan said he’s “dead certain” military intervention will not work in Syria, where the death toll is now over 30,000. “It will make the situation much worse.”
– was wrong and now many are dead in Syria.
And how many died in Rwanda during your watch, Kofi?
You’re absolutely right!
This is the ‘Oil for Food’ corruptocrat among many other scandals; he needs to stay retired; we don’t need this crook involved in anythingor, even better – I hope when Romney/Ryan get into office, that they take a close look at the UN and, out contribution.
coffee lied, millions died
My general rule of thumb is that if a corrupt bureaucrat says something to bet the farm on just the opposite.
It’s hard to make heads or tails of the whole thing. In the quote, Ryan asserts that a plan should have been put in place to work with our allies in the region to support the people Assad is slaughtering. Yes, he frowns on the plan where we just do nothing and wait for the UN to leisurely stroll in there at some point and.. well what have they done exactly? Somehow in Kofi’s mind that translates to “let’s kill each other.” That’s quite the leap. Psst, Kofi.. there already is killing. That’s what we’re trying to stop.
He also calls an agreement that would necessarily keep Assad in power “[giving] the Syrians hope.” Kofi, I’ve felt hope. I know what hope is. Hope is an emotion of mine. Kofi, you’re no bringer of hope.
Then there’s the line about “Yes, some are sending in weapons. But that is quite different from the kind of intervention.” Wait, so that’s fine? Couldn’t that have been the sort of action Ryan was hinting at? Kofi sure seems okay with it.
If we’re going to even try negotiation with Assad, we’re definitely going to need someone more intelligent to do so. He’s positively sweet with Assad and far more firm with those standing up for what’s right. In any case, what is there to negotiate? Maybe Assad will agree to only kill people on Tuesdays and Thursdays? How about telling him to stop. Now. Period. Or else.
This goes back to the very first lie every schoolboy is taught by the Liberals running the school system.
It Takes Two To Fight!
Newsflash: One Not Fighting Back still gets the SNOT KICKED OUT OF HIM!
Somehow Kofi thinks it is preferable to have a ‘peaceful’ settlement after the dictator gets done Resting all of the opposition in peace.
This is why bullies roam freely in schools and in the international community.
Put the PC blinders aside and look where peace and civilization reigns. Inside and outside those cultures look where it struggles. Putting a putz like this over resolving Syria is like a donkey monitoring a fight between a giraffe and a rhino.
1. Let the Arab League deal with it.
2. Let them eat baklava.
This A-hole comes from one of the most backward African sewers on the planet – Ghana… I just love the way third-worlders point their smelly fingers and accuse everyone else of corruption and malfeasance. Kofi Annan is a parasite of the highest order, which is to say he is a parasite of the lowest order. While he feasts off of UN money, (mostly contributed by the USA), his nation of origin slides into the gutter. Ghana would be an even worse sewer if it weren’t for massive US aid. Ghana admits to 25% unemployment – a perennial chronic condition which is probably severly under-reported. The truth is undoubtedly far far worse. And one quarter of Kofi Annan’s fellow citizens live on $1.25 a day or less. This while this parasitic pig lives like a king in $3000/night hotels at the finest places on earth paid for by others.
This vile, vile man should hang his head in shame and keep his foul parasitic mouth shut. And he should keep his smelly nose out of American politics.
This was a well done and accurate description of the career of Kofi.
Any signatories and ratifiers of the Cairo Declaration deserve to fend for themselves. That shadow UN of the UN that is striving towards a global caliphate can deal with it’s own muslim troubles.
I’ll take Kofi Annan’s advice if I want to learn how to stand by and watch while 800,000 people get killed.
Actually, that’s a good idea… let them kill each other.
Unfortunately, I think yours is the only rational position to take in a war between Assad and Al-Qaeda.
Of course this is what Kofi Annan would say. It’s what any cynical person in his position would say. He is paid for mediating conflicts. The longer they go on the more he has job security. It’s pretty simple really.
Most times in history these sort of conflicts don’t really end until one side complete vanquishes the other. How many little wars has the UN brokered peace for only to see them erupt over and over.
‘Well if it didn’t work last time let’s try it again.’
Thank you. Well put. He is my own #1 reason why the UN should be run out of North America, preferably back to Ghana.
My prayers to the women, and children suffering in Syria at the hands of a monster who follows Muhammad.
Unfortunately, both supporting and opposing Assad are other monsters who follow Muhammed. Assad is an Alawite; they’re a Twelver Shiite sect viewed by Sunnis (as in al Qaeda and its offspring and the Muslim Brotherhood and its offspring) as even more heretical than the rest of the Shia; the Sunni tribes and clans oppressed the Alawis in Syria until the Assads took over and returned the favor, so some of what’s going on there is personal and tribal payback, some is Sunni fanatics making a move for power, some is the Iranians with their regional hegemonic ambitions… scorpions in a bottle. Some of whom have agendas just for Syria, while others, especially the jihadis, have transnational agendas that include fighting the West. And just as in Libya, once the dictator is gone, the weapons we’re supplying the “fighters” will wind up all over.
I understand that. So, why is the CFR American government supporting the Muslim Brotherhood? To bring region 4 of the WTO under control?
Fight, fight — talk, talk — fight, fight.
It was a central precept of Mao Tse Tung’s (note the old spelling, I’m and old guy) guerrilla warfare. You fight until you get in trouble, you agree to talk while you reconstitute your forces, and then you fight again. This allows you to survive, wears down the enemy and weakens their will to fight, and, ultimately, allows you to prevail. Overtures like those by Annan play right into the hands of an Assad regime in distress.
You know how to tell if Kofi Annan is lying?
Whenever he opens his mouth and breathes.
Also,
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHA.
Kofi Annan…famous for his ‘honesty’ and ‘integrity’, because he….oooh, wait….nevermind.
Because Kofi Annan is the embodiment of truth, integrity, and will be remembered as a great stateman…..er….wait….
Nevermind.
Kofi Annan, as head of the UN, was embroiled in an “Oil-for-food” scandal along with his family relatives (also in leadership positions in the United Nations)during Iraq’s hostilities.
It is reported, though unconfirmed, that millions of dollars were siphoned from a Iraq oil export agreement and a charity program for impoverished Iraqi families with a percentage of total dollar exports ending up in Kofi Anan’s and families personal bank accounts. This arrangement was personally overseen by Kofi himself.
The Syrian-Assad connection, attempted by Kofi himself as a UN “envoy,” smacks of another attempt at Kofi greedily attempting to benefit monetarily. Since, this Syrian-Assad arrangement was iffy from the get-go…Kofi’s “good-will” tour came up blank. But he still keeps eternal hope alive,he Kofi, can wrest some financial benefits from this “Syrian-Assad connection.” A master criminal, representing a worldwide criminal enterprise.
Yes, United Nations is where Mr. Obama has also pinned his future and all American’s. God Bless America. Pray. Amen.