Online NewsHour: Kofi Annan -- December 16, 1996

NEWSMAKER: KOFI ANNAN

DECEMBER 16, 1996

TRANSCRIPT

The American-backed choice for U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has had a long distinguished career in the United Nations. Over the past 30 years, the Ghanan-born diplomat has handled peace-keeping activities in Somalia, Bosnia, Burundi, and Zaire. Charlayne Hunter-Gault takes a look at the man who will lead the United Nations into the 21st century.

A RealAudio version of this NewsHour segment is available.
Online NewsHour links
Kofi Annan talks to Charlayne Hunter-Gault about what he plans to do as secretary-general.
December 3, 1996
The fight over replacing U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
August 1, 1996
Kofi Annan, then Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations, talks about the options for international intervention in Burundi.
June 20, 1996
The Clinton Administration says the U.S. will probably publicly oppose a second term for Boutros-Ghali.
May 20, 1996
Sadako Ogata, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, comes to the NewsHour and discusses U.N. operations in Bosnia.

CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Kofi Annan has spent the last 30 years working for the United Nations and its agencies. His jobs have involved vital but low profile tasks, such as personnel management and budget analysis, for an organization with 9,000 employees and a $1.3 billion budget. Soft-spoken and highly respected, Annan was a U.N. insider, not well known to the public until three years ago when he was made under-secretary and head of U.N. peacekeeping, a much more visible post in charge of several controversial missions. Trouble spots like Somalia and Bosnia became Annan's new responsibilities. He was made special envoy to the Balkans during the initial implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. Last month, he said the U.N. had achieved bringing peace to the area by listening to all sides.
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. Undersecretary General: (November) We've been here for several years, we've done a great job, and I think we've achieved one of our main objectives, which was to create time and space for the politicians and the diplomats to negotiate a peace agreement.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Annan was widely praised for overseeing the hand-over in Bosnia from U.N. Protection Forces to the NATO-led forces. At the ceremony in Sarajevo in 1995, he called for mutual understanding among the ethnic groups in Bosnia.
KOFI ANNAN: So we all have to continue building confidence among the community so that we could have a peaceful, harmonious, and multi-ethnic Sarajevo.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Last July, before a military coup overthrew the government in Burundi, Annan spoke on behalf of the U.N. Security Council to condemn the coup plotters.
KOFI ANNAN: I think over the last few years the Council and the world has made it quite clear that it is no longer acceptable for leaders or, you know, cruel leaders to hide behind sovereignty and national boundaries and brutalize the urban population. And if the international community comes to that judgment, I don't think we need to wait for consent or invitation.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Annan has also been at the forefront of the recent debate over whether an international force would be needed in Zaire after the refugee crisis in the region. Born in Ghana, into a family of tribal chiefs, Annan was the recipient of a Ford Foundation grant, which enabled him to study economic at Macalester College in Minnesota. He also studied and received a Masters degree in management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Annan was the American choice for U.N. Secretary-General. The U.S. also led efforts to oust his predecessor, Boutros Boutros-Ghali. Kofi Annan takes over as the U.N. is experiencing its worst financial crisis in its 51-year history. That's due, in part, to the United States being over a billion and a half dollars in arrears on its payments. Responding to pressures from Congress, the Clinton administration and U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Madeleine Albright have repeatedly called for radical reforms to cut down both the size and scope of the world organization.


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