U.S. Gets Unusual Rebuff From Annan on Iraq

[DuctapeFatwa]

The United States got an unusual rebuff from U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for its new resolution to get more troops and money to help stabilize Iraq. France, Russia and Germany also signaled another tough battle ahead in the U.N. Security Council.

The revised resolution won support Thursday from close U.S. ally Britain, which signed on as a co-sponsor, and a sympathetic response from Bulgaria and Spain.

Annan's outspoken opposition to the thrust of the U.S. draft was bound to influence some council members. Mexico's U.N. Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, for one, said his country's response "will be based mostly on our interest to align to the interest of the United Nations."

"Obviously, it's not going in the direction I had recommended, but I will still have to study it further," Annan said Thursday of the new U.S. draft.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20031003_216.html

[Brucey]

1. Probably Annan met with Powell and had reason to be optimistic.

Then when he read the US proposal realized that it's nothing new.

[IndianaGreen]

2. According to BBC, Putin, Chirac, and Schroeder also rebuffed the US

In a report from Moscow broadcast on BBC America this morning, the Russian foreign minister said that the US proposal fell short of granting sovereignty to Iraq within a reasonable time frame. Russia wants the US out of Iraq.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

4. Remember this from Saturday's press conference?

between Bush & Putin when Putin said:

"I have never said this in public, I'm going to do it today. When counterterrorist operation began in Afghanistan, we were approached by people, through several channels, we were approached by people who intended to fight against Americans in Afghanistan. And if by that time President Bush and I had not formed appropriate relationship, as we have, so no one knows what turn would the developments in Afghanistan had taken."

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/09/20030927-2.html

Ie - "I can give the go-ahead to fuck you over in Afghanistan".

[Judi Lynn]

3. Couldn't be any more logical, either

(snip) According to U.N. diplomats, Annan has said having Iraqis control their country would make it easier politically for other nations to contribute troops and money because they would not have to deal with the current U.S.-British occupation authorities.
(snip/...)

Republican love to fancy they are profoundly "logical." Surely they can see this is a proper, and sound statement.

[hang a left]

5. They are so pompous and embarassing.

[underpants]

6. Whew they got the Brits to approve.

Damn that was worrying me.

[cliss]

7. Well, that might explain Putin's gloomy look

when he visited with Bush recently. Bush had an evil look in his eyes as he patted Putin on the back, with his phony caring look, like he did recently with Abu Mazen.

So what is the story with the USSR in all this? I know they had oil contracts with Hussein, which subsequently went up in smoke when the US marched to Baghdad.

It's my understanding that Iraq has unpaid debts to the USSR that is running in the $billions. Now apparently they will be unpaid.

If I were Putin, I'd be pretty pissed. I might even contemplate something clandestine....