Former General Assembly Presidents express support for Annan

The former Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly have expressed their full support for the role Secretary-General Kofi Annan is playing in the present climate of international tension, according to a letter released today at UN Headquarters in New York.

The Council of Presidents of the General Assembly said the upholding of moral standards and principles on which the UN was established are paramount when the sailing becomes rough.

“We stand fully supportive to your efforts, very satisfied by the stands you are taking and the efforts you are exerting to realize for the world what is expected of the United Nations,” the Chairman of the Council, Samir Shihabi, said in a letter dated 12 April.

The Council also said that in the present climate of international tension, Mr. Annan had a central role in reinvigorating the UN and rebuilding nations, adding, “the legitimacy and legal order promulgated and entrusted to the United Nations ranks high in the confidence vested deservedly in you.”