The Carpet of Contempt

So here we are at the U.N. A half-century ago it was created to keep peace and expand
freedom,
not a feckless dream but a reachable goal dear to the United States, the key founding member.

Now the U.N. is carpeted in contempt for the U.S., for failure to use either its material power
or
what remains of its intellectual power to eliminate a minor dictator with major plans for mass
slaughter.

The case of Secretary General Kofi Annan is part of the change at the U.N.

Power voids are filled, quickly. Mr. Annan moved into the emptiness created by the failure of
American leadership against Saddam Hussein. He brought into his expanding role great charm and
wit, and a clear concept of how to handle Saddam — with diligent appeasement.

By himself, he has become Saddam’s greatest single asset at the U.N. And with Russia, China,
France and other countries “sympathetic to Iraqi sentiments,” as it is put at the U.N., he is part of
an active coalition, along with selected top members of the huge U.N. bureaucracy.

The coalition is determined to whittle U.N. arms inspection down to a useless splinter and lift
U.N. economic sanctions on Iraq. That would open the road for Saddam to reach his goal of
chemical, nuclear and biological weapons.

Don’t worry, the coalition says, look at how many countries already have the weapons and
don’t
use them. Concentrate on all the potential trade with Iraq.

This coalition does not exist because of its own strength. It exists because of the absence of
American strategy for either eliminating Saddam’s weapons potential or eliminating him.

With its three-day missile attacks, followed immediately by thinning out American strength in
the
region, Washington does not fool itself, Saddam or the U.N., and certainly not Mr. Annan.

Mr. Annan is sometimes a subtle man. I do not know what motivates him to try to appease
Saddam. Possibly belief that unless somebody steps in, American policy will lead to disaster for
all. Possibly the deep layer of third-world allegiances at the U.N.

But his techniques are not subtle. Each time Saddam ties up or throws out U.N. inspection, in
violation of its peace agreement with the U.N., Mr. Annan waits awhile. Then after lots of secret
hocus-pocus he pulls out the solution — a new agreement in which Saddam again promises to
cooperate with inspection, and again gets a good-boy reward, a weaker inspection system more
acceptable to Iraq, for awhile.

A few months later, promise broken, same Annan show of compassion, the same hocus-pocus
solution and promises; so on.

The Clinton Government does not criticize him. After all, it fought to get him named
Secretary
General, and usually gives its approval before and after his routines with Saddam.

Even when he praised Saddam’s Government for its “wisdom, courage and flexibility” in
February
1998 there was no criticism — not even when he signed a “Memo of Understanding” with Iraq
endorsing Saddam’s indispensable lie. The memo says that “paramount” to the people and
Government of Iraq is removal of sanctions against Iraq. Mr. Annan knows sanctions would
quickly be eased and ended if Saddam carried out his 1991 promises to reveal his concealed
weaponry and plans, within 15 days.

The reports from the inspectors headed by Richard Butler of Australia reveal Saddam’s
concealment. That is why Mr. Annan and Iraq are so intent about weakening the commission, why
stories are floated that Mr. Butler’s inspectors are U.S. spies — to weaken the inspectorate so
badly that Mr. Butler will resign.

As long as those Butler reports keep coming, Mr. Annan and other Iraq friendlies know the
U.S.
will veto lifting of sanctions. Probably — is that creaking and cracking we hear in Washington’s
support for sanctions against the Iraqi tyranny?

The American public, as always, must share responsibility with its elected Government on
what it
does or does not do.

Despite the reports by U.N. inspectors about Saddam’s concealment, despite his decision to
force
Iraqis to suffer sanctions rather than reveal his weapons of mass destruction, Americans seem
entirely relaxed.

Yes, there was the World Trade Center bombing. But you don’t really think terrorists would
also
use anthrax over here, actually use it?