Annan urges both sides to protect civilians
Last Updated: Thursday, March 20, 2003 | 10:27 AM ET
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UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Thursday urged both sides of the conflict in Iraq to protect civilians trapped in the middle of the war.
"My thoughts today are with the Iraqi people, who face yet another ordeal," Annan told a world television audience.
"I hope that all parties will scrupulously observe the requirements of international humanitarian law and will do everything in their power to shield the civilian population from the grim consequences of war."
At the same time, he took a diplomatic swipe at the U.S. and Britain.
Kofi Annan : 'My thoughts today are with the Iraqi people'
Annan said Iraq could have been disarmed peacefully if diplomacy had been given more of a chance.
"Or, if not," he added, "the world could have taken action to solve this problem by a collective decision, endowing it with greater legitimacy, and therefore commanding wider support than is now the case."
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