Annan disappointed with U.S. attitude

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, MAY. 13. There is growing concern that major powers like the United States are unwilling to go further than logistical support to the ongoing crisis in Sierra Leone.

In an interview, the Secretary- General, Mr. Kofi Annan openly expressed disillusionment that ``Washington will not put one American officer on the ground''.

Mr. Annan told The New York Times that the nature of conflicts in the international system had changed, requiring the U.N. to react differently using rapid deployment forces - well-trained and well-equipped forces who would secure the situation on the ground prior to the arrival of the peace-keeping units.

The Secretary- General argued that the Security Council woild have to give the forces ``stronger combat authority''.

Though the U.S has offered logistical support to the U.N. operation in Sierra Leone, the global body has to pay for this service.

Mr. Annan said the world body might have to pay anywhere between $17 million and $21 million for an American airlift of soldiers from Bangladesh to Sierra Leone.

The U.N. has now opted for a commercial airliner to do the same job for $6 million.

The Secretary-General said natural resources like diamonds in the African countries not only kept the warlords going but had the potential to corrupt peacekeepers. ``I have to make sure that my own peacekeepers down the line don't get caught in this situation. So when a whole Guinean battalion on its way to Sierra Leone - 900 men with APCs - said they were disarmed, you wonder. Did they sell them?,'' Mr. Annan remarked referring to the armoured personnel carriers.

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Section  : International
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