Will Annan Resign? 'Hell No'

Fox News Channel ^ | March 29, 2005 | Liza Porteus

[bd476]

NEW YORK — Investigators probing the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq said Tuesday there was not enough evidence to show that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (search) knew of a controversial contract bid by his son's employer.

But the report criticized the U.N. chief for not determining the exact nature of his son's relationship with the Swiss firm that won a major contract to oversee humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq. Annan told reporters later in the afternoon that he is urging his son, Kojo Annan, to be more cooperative in the investigation.

Asked at a Tuesday news conferences if he was going to quit his post at the United Nations, Annan said: "Hell no."

Annan told reporters that he was "well aware" of the insinuation that he improperly influenced procurement processes in favor of Cotecna, the Swiss contractor.

"But I knew that to be untrue and I was therefore absolutely confident that a thorough inquiry would clear me of any wrongdoing," Annan said. "After so many distressing and untrue allegations have been made against me, this exoneration by the independent inquiry obviously comes as a great relief."

But the conclusions in the report, released Tuesday by Paul Volcker (search), was not the clear vindication the United Nations chief had wanted.

"While the scope of the second report is limited … it does deal with matters dealing directly with the secretary-general, Mr. Kofi Annan, and possible conflicts of his interest" with his son and Cotecna Inspection SA (search), Volcker told reporters earlier during a noon press conference.

[ICE-FLYER]

"Resign?? Hell no. How could I pass up all the freebies at the expense of the tax payers of the US? How could I pass up all this un-checked and un answerable power? How could I pass up the support of the democrats in the States and all of Europe? How could I pass up helping terrorists like Arafat and the many dictators around the world who kiss my ring?"

[backhoe]

Click this picture & go to the "last" for the latest UN scandals:

If you aren't informed about this stuff, you will be made sick. If you are informed, you will be made mad, all over again.

[Non-Sequitur]

Put yourself in his shoes. Whould you want to resign and go back to whatever third-world cesspool you came from, or would you want the stay in New York and rake in the big bucks?

[stm]

Good luck trying to toss his lying, cheating and stealing a$$ out too.

[AmericanChef]

Let's move the UN to California. A quake will set things right.

[kempster]

Let's move the UN to Geneva so they can neutralize themselves into obscurity.

[neutrino]

Hey, what's a little lyin', cheatin', and stealin'? Or a lot, for that matter. After all, it is the UN.

[SMARTY]

"While Kofi Annan may not be responsible for the acts of his son, he is responsible for failing to reveal a serious conflict of interest."

NO S^%$ SHERLOCK! Get that smarmy little, mendacious twerp out of there!

[KillTime]

Did anyone catch the video of him saying "Hell no."? He was obviously waiting for his chance to say it. After the reporter asked him if he would quit, Annan got a twinkle in his eye, a slight smile and said, remembering what an aid probably made him rehearse, "Hell no.", after which he smiled again and looked to be thinking to himself "Ohh I'm a real cowboy now that I actually said that." It was funny.

[mewzilla]

Boy, he really needs that diplomatic immunity, doesn't he?

[cyncooper]

But the conclusions in the report, released Tuesday by Paul Volcker, was not the clear vindication the United Nations chief had wanted.

Which was clear to any thinking person and which is why freeper prairiebreeze astutely noted that his "hell no" came out sounding like "don't hurt me".

(that makes me laugh whenever I think of it, prairie...LOL)

[Obadiah]

Another Clinton clone. The good news is that his term expires in 2006 and he ain't comin' back!

[prairiebreeze]

"But I knew that to be untrue and I was therefore absolutely confident that a thorough inquiry would clear me of any wrongdoing," Annan said.

For the record on this thread for anybody reading later, it was reported on FoxNews yesterday that 3 years worth of documents pertaining to Oil For Fraud had been shredded by the UN.

Kofi knew he could count on his diplomat bunk-buddies to cover for him of course. Any genuine thorough investigation with all the records would have put Annan and probably several others behind bars for eternity.