SECRETARY-GENERAL ON ANNIVERSARY OF BAGHDAD BOMBING: IT WAS A PERSONAL TRAGEDY FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US

19 August 2004


Following are the comments to be delivered today by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a ceremony at the Palais des Nations commemorating the first anniversary of the attack on UN Headquarters in Baghdad:

“It is hard to believe that a year has gone by since the tragedy that struck the United Nations familyWhat happened in Baghdad a year ago today was a personal tragedy – above all not just for the families and loved ones of the 22 people who died and ; nor just for those who suffered severe injuries, be they physical, psychological or emotional.

It was also a personal tragedy for each and every one of us, because of the dear friends and close colleagues we lost, and because of the the direct attack against the blue flag and we who have devoted our lives to the United Nations.shock to the Organization to which we have devoted our life’s work..

Each and every oneAll of us has have struggled, mightily and are still struggling, to absorb the that shock.

I But above all, it isTo the 22 families of those who have sufferdied.

To you I would like to stress that, let me say this: I personally, and the entire United Nations community, will continue to stand by your side.

WeI know that the past year has done little to relieve your agony.

There is the sheer heartbreak. know that the past year has done little to relieve your heartbreak. Despite active efforts on our part, and despite the ongoing investigation by the United States, we are still waiting for answers. However long it takes, I pray that the perpetrators are held to account, and do not get away with this cold-blooded murder.

Next to the loss of life itself, there is little so most dismaying as thing is the impunity that makes a mockery of justice and allows people who plan such cold-blooded murder to get away with murderit.

There is distress atAt the same time, there is the added bitterness of the failings and flaws that have been laid bare by our own investigations. And I know, too, that many, perhaps most, of you have not always beenare not satisfied with what the United Nations itself has so far done in response.

I would like toLet me assure you of my commitmentonce again that I am determined to address your concerns, and to be your close partner as we continue to deal with the aftermath of this calamity.

To the families and loved ones of those who died; Let me say also tTto the survivors;, and and to those injured on that awful day. , llet me say this:

I would like to thank you for joining us today, especially those who travelled long distances to be here. I am deeply moved by your presence. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of you. I can only imagine the strength and courage you have had to muster to survive the past year. am full of admiration for the heroic courage you have shown You may think you should have recovered by now, only to find yourselves still unable to truly go on with your lives. ButYet I know that your ordeal continues, tooand that some of you may not cannot hope to recover fully. I and tThe United Nations family will stand by you, as well – throughoutin your grief and in your suffering, however long you may need its support.
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And now let me speak to you, the larger United Nations all my colleagues, throughout the UN familyfamily.

: The attack on the Canal Hotel was also a blow for us as an organization. Over the years, we have mourned the loss of hundreds of colleagues killed in the line of duty. Our brave champions of peace and human dignity We are no strangers to violence and intimidation. Over the years, we have mourned the loss of hundreds of colleagues killed in the service of peace and human dignity. Indeed, sIndeed, in the year that has passed since the Baghdad attack, another 17 a further [number tk] UN peacekeepers and civilian staff and peacekeepers have lost their lives to hostile acts in the line of duty and in the service of peace. Their sacrifice, too, should be merits recognisedtion today.

But the attack on the Canal Hotel was a unique blow for us as an organization. the catastrophe in Baghdad seemed to herald someIt brought us face to face with danger in a new and more intimidating form – the danger that we, servants of the United Nations, will no longer be victims simply by virtue of the times and places in which we are called to serve, but may have become in ourselves one of the main targets of political violence new depth of depravity and peril.

We are now wrestling with wrenching, fundamental questions:

* hHow do we to improve security without unduly impeding encumbering our work and effectiveness?

Our work is with people. We must be able to get to them, and they must be able to get to us.

How do we balance this need for openness with security in today’s world?

How do we operate in places like Iraq and some parts of Afghanistan, where ;

* how best to send people back to Baghdad, or to other volatile places, such as parts of Afghanistan, where many people want and expect us to help – and this includes the Security Council -- but some , but a few areare determined to block our work at any price?;

Are we witnessing a paradigm shift, or a tragic phase that will pass?

We have been working hard to find answers, and to correct our own systemic weaknesses. Much has been done, but much more is still to be done. I assure you that I will always insist on the most stringent precautions for our staff, and do my utmost to keep any such tragedy from again befalling our precious family.

I know that the past year has been a difficult one for each and every one of us. For me, the past year has been not only difficult, but also deeply introspective. Earlier, we had lived through a war that I genuinely thought could have been avoided. Then I lost 22 wonderful, talented friends and colleagues whom I had sent to Iraq to help deal with the aftermath of that war, to help bring stability and peace – the greatest yearning of the average Iraqi. Their mission was cut short when they were brutally and viciously taken away from us.


For my partFinally, I hope you will forgive me if I speak for a moment about myself. For me, the past year has been marked by anger and sadness at the senseless loss of life. I mourn the loss of some truly close friends, with whom I had gone throughshared many of life’s passagesthe joys and sorrows of my life. Their faces hover perpetualare constantly in my mind’s eye. Precious memories – of dinners and duty stations, of shared assignments and frustrations – mix with painful ones, -- none more so painf painful ul than those of conversations held we had just before departure they left for Baghdad and during their stay there. Y, when we all knew this would be a challenge like few others. As the person who is ultimately responsible for the security of United Nations staff, ou can imagine my agony, discouragement and deep sense of loss -- not only as a friend, but also as the individual who is ultimately responsible for the welfare and security of United Nations staff. I don’t think anyone could ever fully know the impact these tragic events had on me -- except perhaps my wife, Nane. They touched me to the core.

Let me conclude by sharing with you something from my culture. We,
the Akans, believe that death does not separate us from good family members. Rather, their spirit is not only with us constantly, but so alive that we feel their presence and can even talk to them from time to time. That is why we seek their help and guidance on important occasions -- in victory and in defeat, in happiness and in sorrow.




We will long feel the pain of the trauma we have all been through. But our belief in the cause of peace is undiminished, our sense of mission is intact, and our work goes on. And every day we work to further the cause of peace, we feel beside us those we have loved and lost, and we pay tribute to the cherished memory of those who perished one year ago today.

I, too, have had a terrible year.

Time will not heal our wounds. But there is solace and meaning in gathering as we have today. In Ghana, we believe that, when someone dies, they remain very close to us in spirit, so close that we feel as if conversation with them is still possible. So it must be with the 22 women and men whose earthly selves were taken from us one year ago today, but whose eternal, noble souls will inspire us forever. Some mighty trees have fallen, but they can, in that way, continue to bear fruit.

Thank you. Let me May I now aask you all to stand and join me in a minute of silence, in honour of all the victims, and in sympathy with for all the bereaved”.