CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Statement by the Ministry of foreign affairs

Recently, a new attack has taken place against the united nations organization, a pillar of the multilateral system of international relations, through a campaign and accusations unleashed in u.s. political circles against mr. Kofi annan, secretary-general of the organization.

This hysteric campaign against the united nations has reached the point that in the u.s. congress, there have been voices, which have even demanded, with suspicious echo in a large portion of the american media, the resignation of the secretary-general.

The most conservative elements of the u.s. congress seek to hold the uno secretary-general responsible for the bad administrative management of the so-called oil for food program, which was in force at the uno from 1996 to 2003, and was passed by the un security council as an exception to the brutal regimen of sanctions which- with terrible consequences for the population - was imposed by that same body on iraq due to the kuwait invasion in 1990.

These accusations against the secretary-general do not appear now by chance. It would seem that the government of president george w. Bush is angry at the recent comments by secretary-general kofi annan, who stated that the war in iraq was “illegal”. An attack against mr. Annan in the current circumstances is indeed, an attack against the united nations and multilateralism as a whole.

The u.s. government does not have the moral authority or any other authority to pass judgment on the un secretary-general. For the last few years the u.s. government has been the one to undermine the very existence of the organization with its unilateral policy as well as a policy of total scorn for international law and also keeping a permanent financial blackmail against the united nations in its capacity as the main contributor.

Cuba, therefore, as it rejects this campaign, reaffirms its commitment to the united nations, to multilateralism, to its charter and to the principles of international law, and favors its complete revitalization under the leadership of its top administrative authority, secretary-general kofi annan.

Havana, 8 december 2004.

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