Annan must respond quickly to scandal
The scandal swirling around the United Nations over its administration of the Iraqi oil-for-food programme is growing, yet the world body's chief, Kofi Annan, seems unworried. His muted comment on allegations of corruption and mismanagement contrast sharply with the roar of the accusers, mostly United States lawmakers.
Whatever Mr Annan's reason for his near-silence, it is time he spoke up - for his own sake and that of the UN.
Some of Mr Annan's shyness on the issue may be due to personal links to the programme which, from 1996 to the US-led invasion of Iraq against UN Security Council wishes in March last year, aimed to provide food and medicine for Iraqis while keeping sanctions on the regime of dictator Saddam Hussein.
Before becoming UN secretary-general in 1997, Mr Annan led the first negotiations with Iraq for the sale of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian goods. As the head of the UN, he staunchly defended efforts by the US and others to undermine the scheme. Most embarrassingly, though, his son, Kojo, has been accused of taking payments from a company involved in the programme.
The secretary-general last week expressed disappointment in his son's actions. Earlier this year, he attempted to counter a slew of US congressional oil-for-food investigations by setting up an independent commission of inquiry under respected banker Paul Volker.
But while the congressional inquiries have issued increasingly damning statements and reports of UN wrongdoing in allowing Hussein's regime to acquire billions of dollars illegally through bribes and kickbacks, the silence of the organisation is deafening. The findings of Mr Volker's 60-strong team are not expected until the middle of next year.
The allegations go to the heart of the oil-for-food programme - its executive director, Benon Sevan, whose name is among hundreds on Iraqi documents as having received, or been considered for, vouchers for oil. Analysts say such schemes were used by Hussein to win sympathy, support and ill-gotten funds.
Only a few voices are defending the UN; they claim layers of transparency in the programme and the fact that the security council had ultimate responsibility puts any blame squarely on its members.
The scandal is overshadowing long-term efforts by the secretary-general to make the UN more effective. An expert UN panel on global security last Thursday made reform of the organisation's principal bodies a key recommendation. Mr Annan, mindful of his legacy when his term ends on December 31, 2006, will issue his own report on reforms in March.
All such efforts will be diluted in significance unless the oil-for-food scandal can be laid to rest. Mr Annan has an obligation to take effective steps and he can only do that by answering the allegations. The sooner he does so, the better.
