9/11 anniversary should serve as call for international cooperation – Annan

Today’s second anniversary of the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States should serve as a clarion call for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism, which continues to threaten the world, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said.

“Obviously we all remember those who died. I was in New York when it happened and I know what a traumatic, tragic incident that was,” Mr. Annan said at a press encounter in Geneva, where he is to meet with the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council on Saturday to seek the speedy restoration of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

In a statement issued at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Annan called for all nations to work together in the fight against terrorism, "which is an affront to the spirit and purposes of the United Nations, and has become a leading threat to international peace and security. I hope nations will also bring similar determination to bear in confronting the other ills that plague our world."

Extending his condolences to families and friends of the victims, he added: "The trauma, wounds and losses of that awful day are still keenly felt by all of us. And since then, many other innocent people throughout the world - including, last month in Baghdad, dedicated staff of the United Nations - have been killed by this global scourge."

Mr. Annan also linked the 9/11 attacks with the bombing of UN headquarters in Baghdad, which killed top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others, in a message delivered for him by the Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Gillian Sorensen, at a church service dedicated to the opening of the new General Assembly session next week.

“The UN family has likewise been jolted as never before. Last month, in Baghdad, it was our turn to be the victim of a terrorist attack – one that took from us cherished friends and colleagues, and has jeopardized our ability to come to the aid of Iraqis in their time of need,” he said.

“But if our hearts are filled with sorrow, if our minds are unsettled by images of violence, our spirits can still draw strength from occasions such as this, where people of different faiths and cultures come together in friendship and prayer. We need that strength,” he said.