Thank You, Kofi Annan

Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Thursday that military action against Iran would be "a real disaster" and said the Middle East could explode if the international community doesn't handle the many conflicts in the region very carefully...

At a wide-ranging round-table with journalists, Annan said he didn't have enough information to comment on the justification for the U.N. Security Council's demand that Iran suspend uranium enrichment until it allays suspicions its nuclear program is trying to produce weapons. Tehran insists the program is peaceful, aimed only at using nuclear power to generate electricity.

Annan said he had told Iranian leaders that "if indeed you have nothing to hide and you are not making a bomb and your intentions are pacific, open your doors, let the inspectors come, let them go anywhere — find a way of reassuring the world, not just the U.S."

Asked how the international community should deal with Iran, he said dialogue was the only way.

"We cannot, I'm sure, take on another military action in Iran, and I hope no one is contemplating it. It would be a real disaster," he said.

Finally, an important international figure speaks out against a foreign policy strategy that only promises to exacerbate conflict within a struggling region of the world. While Annan's comments might be paid more attention and heeded, he is not alone is voicing this truth; many experts share this same view and see the present problems and tensions between Iran and countries such as the United States and Britain as a direct result of grave errors in history for which these Western countries have not made amends.

Annan and other experts' point of view and recommendations for improving relations and resolving tensions have the insight that the current administration so clearly lacks. While both Iran and the United States' leaders have made inflammatory comments about one another's nations and policies but not formally communicated since 1979, dialogue, not military action, is absolutely crucial to improving relationships and healing past wounds. Through peacefully reestablishing alliances with Iran in ways that help the people of Iran, the United States will gain an ally that is key to maintaining stability, promoting real democracy, and solving conflicts throughout the region.

For the full article by the Associated Press on Kofi Annan's comments, click here.