Kofi Annan Burning Bridges With White House

"It was a major briefing by the Coalition on the future of Iraq and the Secretary-General decided not to attend. Don't forget it." So exclaimed a senior U.N. Security Council diplomat who requested confidentiality.

The diplomat referred to a joint briefing by the U.S. and UK ambassadors to the Security Council on future plans for Iraq on Friday.

The U.S. and UK missions to the United Nations labeled the presentation as "major" and more than a month in the planning.

So, if the U.N. chief was not in the Security Council, where was he?

NewsMax found Annan shmoozing with Al Gore in a global warming conference just down the hall.

It gets worse: Annan, who normally appoints a subordinate to fill his Security Council seat when he is not able to attend, left it empty, in full view of television cameras.

"He (Annan) has time for Al Gore and global warming, but no time for the Security Council and Iraq? Huh?" so asked the Council diplomat.

Annan spokesman Fred Eckhard explained that the U.N. chief "had previous commitments and could not make it to the Council." When asked about the empty Council seat, Eckhard had no explanation.

The diplomat shrugged off the Eckhard comments as "not believable."

Also, the U.N. photo service refused to release the photos of Kofi's empty Council seat and Kofi meeting Al Gore ... this, despite the fact that wires had the photos and UNTV showed the empty seat.

In both instances the Council and the Global Warming meetings were public, open meetings - yet another glaring example of how the U.N. is becoming increasingly heavy handed in attempting to control PR surrounding Mr. Annan.

The Council "no show" was just the latest in a series of incidents that some diplomats claim has Annan in the White House dog house.

The Bush administration has yet to forget a series of Annan comments claiming that Operation Iraqi Freedom was "illegal" because it was not sanctioned by the Security Council.

On August 20, Annan told reporters that the Coalition had to bear some "responsibility" for the suicide attack on U.N. headquarters by a truck bomber.

It was the worst attack on the U.N. in its history. The incident left 22 killed and more than 100 wounded.

Annan's finger pointing at Washington soon stopped when it became known that U.N. officials refused Coalition offers to increase security outside the Baghdad center prior to the bombing. The U.N. felt that such a heavy military presence would "send the wrong message to the people of Iraq."

Annan offered neither a correction nor an apology to Coalition officials.

A special commission empowered by Annan to investigate the Baghdad attack called the U.N.'s security system "dysfunctional" and in need of an "overhaul."

Washington called the report "devastating."

The Secretary-General is awaiting the findings of yet a third newly commissioned panel to decide if he needs to initiate any security reforms.

Recently, Annan did opt to have his remaining personnel in Iraq "relocate" to Cyprus for the next several weeks. Last week, he also evacuated U.N. personnel from southern Afghanistan.

All of these decisions were said to be "security" related by U.N. officials.

U.S. diplomats point out that if Anann had "real security" concerns, the Coalition "was equipped" to handle them. The evacuations are suspected by Washington as being "politically" motivated.

All of which, say diplomats, shows a deteriorating relationship between Kofi Annan and the Bush administration.

Annan, whose current term as secretary-general expires January 1, 2007 has been floating unofficial feelers for an unprecedented third term.

"That's (a third term) dead," explained one U.N. diplomat. "Remember he was put in there by Bill Clinton," it was noted.

The diplomat explained that Annan's current relationship with Washington "was diplomatically correct," but no more.

Annan's spokesman Eckhard insisted that the U.N. chief's relationship was "fine."

"Fine? Warm? those are not terms I would use," lamented one diplomat with ties to the White House.

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