Annan calls for UN-led global security system.(Insider Report)(Kofi Annan)(Brief Article)

Speaking on February 13 at a European security conference in Munich, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for Europe and the U.S. "to back a major overhaul of global security measures used to combat terrorism, to keep weapons of mass destruction from spreading and quell regional conflicts," reported the AP.

"We must strengthen our collective defenses," insisted Annan. "If New York or London or Paris or Berlin were hit by a nuclear terrorist attack, it might not only kill hundreds of thousands in an instant, it could also devastate the global economy, thereby plunging millions into poverty in developing nations."

Ironically, given the UN's long and notorious history of accommodating both terror-sponsoring states and terrorist chieftains like the late, unlamented Yasir Arafat, Annan declared: "The United Nations must show zero tolerance of terrorism of any kind, for any reason." This resonant proclamation ...