A Star Turn For The Peace Broker

Kofi Annan speaks softly, but he showed in Iraq that he plays tough

Seated in a Baghdad briefing room last Monday, the man who struck the deal and silenced the guns was not gloating. Instead, Kofi Annan played the part of a retiring, gracious guest. He thanked "His Excellency President Saddam Hussein" and "His Excellency Tariq Aziz" for their hospitality. He applauded Saddam for being "very well informed and in full control of the facts." He listened patiently as Aziz blustered. But when Aziz declared that "it was diplomacy that reached this agreement, not the saber rattling," Annan could not let it go unchallenged. "You can do a lot with diplomacy," he said softly,...

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