Thursday, April 23, 1998
Kofi Annan receives UCLA Medal
POLITICS: U.N. leader says nations should try to prevent
conflicts in the 21st century
By Michael Weiner
Daily Bruin Contributor
Using African conflicts as an example, Kofi Annan,
secretary-general of the United Nations, emphasized conflict
prevention in international relations at the Faculty Center on
Wednesday.
Members of the audience included former U.S. Secretary of State
Warren Christopher and Chancellor Albert Carnesale, who presented
Annan with the UCLA Medal before the speech. The medal, created in
1979, is the university’s highest honor.
Reading the medal citation, Carnesale called Annan a "thoughtful
consensus builder in the cause of international peace."
Annan delivered a keynote address kicking off a three-day policy
conference sponsored by the UCLA Center for International Relations
on "preventing deadly conflict among nations in the 21st
century."
At the beginning of his speech, Annan, who took office as the
United Nation’s seventh secretary-general in January 1997, asserted
that preventing conflict is an "issue that is central to the
mission of the United Nations."
"For the United Nations, there is no higher goal or deeper
commitment than preventing violent conflict," he told the
crowd.
Annan, who was born in Ghana, concentrated on the conflicts
plaguing many countries in Africa.
"Conflict in Africa is caused by human action and can be ended
by human action," he said.
Annan went on to say that there have been more than 30 wars in
Africa since 1970, most of them intrastate involving ethnic and
cultural strife.
"Preventing these wars is a matter of defending humanity
itself," he said.
Annan advocated "preventive deployment" of U.N. troops to
prevent violence from starting, citing a Chinese proverb to
illustrate this concept.
"It is difficult to find money for medicine but easy to find it
for a coffin," he said.
The conference will deal with the issues of international
coalitions, the prevention of regional conflicts, and meeting
future political and economic challenges regarding the prevention
of conflict in the 21st century.
Speakers at the conference include several UCLA political
science professors and former National Security Adviser Anthony
Lake.
After his speech, Annan took questions from the audience about
Africa , the Middle East and the United States not paying its U.N.
dues.
Responding to a question about the role African Americans can
play in finding a solution to the strife in Africa and his view of
Proposition 209, Annan said that all people must recognize the
importance of global issues and have a broad view of the world.
"In today’s world, no one can afford to think in purely local
terms," he said.
In response to a question about U.N. sanctions on Iraq, Annan
stated that Iraq has had the opportunity to exchange oil for food
and granted that sanctions can harm those they are not intended to
harm.
"I will be the first to admit that sanctions are a blunt
instrument," he said.
After someone asked why the Middle East peace process has not
been successful, Annan provided levity for the audience by
responding with the question, "How much time do I have?
"The leaders in the region generally believe that they have no
choice but to work for peace," he said.
After the question-and-answer session, Richard Rosecrance,
director of the Center for International Relations and a political
science professor, said that he was pleased with the event.
"I think (Annan’s) emphasis on prevention was just so completely
right," Rosecrance said.
Students who attended the program were also very impressed.
"To see the leader of the largest and most powerful
international body is not an everyday experience," said Joshua
Atlas, a first-year undeclared student.
PATRICK LAM
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan spoke at the Faculty Center
where he received the UCLA Medal Wednesday.