US-UN truce on Iraq war

“President Clinton and I do not disagree… I said some sort of consultation would be required and I stand by that statement,” Annan said, while maintaining that it would be easier to initiate action if the Iraqis undercut diplomacy now. “We believethat the (existing) resolution gives us the authority to take whatever actions are necessary, but of course we would consult,” President Clinton told media persons at the start of the White House meeting with Annan. “It would be unthinkable that we wouldn’t. We do that all the time anyway,” he added.

While Clinton sought assurance from Annan that the US would not put obstacles in the path of American policy, the Secretary General reminded his hosts of unpaid bills running into a small matter of $ 1.2 billion.

But he did so with a gentle touch, far removed from a stern rebuke by UN bureaucrats earlier this week that a default would lead to Washington losing its UN vote. The US will have to pony up $ 600 million by January 1 to retain its voting rights, UN officials have warned Washington. Despite the simmering differences, the President and senior administration officials offered a sustained show of support to Annan on Wednesday, much to the chagrin of many Congressional and Senate leaders who feel theWhite House is kowtowing the United Nations and in the process undercutting the interests of the United States.

“Your work is important, and we intend to see that you succeed,” Clinton told Kofi Annan at a White House programme marking International Women’s Day.

Though the Secretary General had not planned to meet anyone from the Congress because of the kind of outright hostility lawmakers have displayed over the Iraq deal, he responded to an invitation from Senator Jesse Helms. Helms controls the purse strings insofar as American contribution to the UN is concerned.