Kofi Annan: The security council must face its responsibilities

From a speech by the secretary general of the United Nations to the UN's general assembly

We cannot begin without reflecting on 11 September 2001. The attacks were an extreme example of a global scourge, which requires a broad, sustained and global response. Any state, if attacked, retains the right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Beyond that, there is no substitute for the legitimacy provided by the UN.

Let me turn to current threats to world peace. First, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We must search for a solution that can bring security and prosperity to both peoples.

Second, the leadership of Iraq continues to defy mandatory resolutions adopted by the Security Council. All who have influence with Iraq's leaders impress on them the importance of accepting the weapons inspections. This is the first step towards assuring the world that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have been eliminated.

If Iraq's defiance continues, the security council must face its responsibilities. It was the international community's neglect of Afghanistan in the 1990s that provided a fertile breeding ground for al-Qa'ida. In South Asia the world has recently come closer to a direct conflict between two nuclear weapon-capable countries. The underlying causes must be addressed. Global interest is our national interest.