Both sides eroding Rule of Law: Annan by Colum Lynch 1:24pm 22nd Sep, 2004   September 22, 2004    United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was expected to tell the General Assembly overnight that the rule of law in the post-September 11 world had been eroded by the United States and other nations as they battled terrorism and by Islamic extremists.    The UN chief's remarks, which were to be delivered less than an hour before President George Bush addressed the international body, come just days after Mr Annan said he considered the US-led invasion of Iraq illegal.    Mr Annan was expected to say that "no one was above the law" whether in Sudan, Iraq, Uganda, Russia or the Middle East.    "Again and again, we see fundamental laws shamelessly disregarded - those that ordain respect for innocent life, for civilians, for the vulnerable - especially children," Mr Annan said in an embargoed speech.    In Iraq, he said civilians were massacred in cold blood, while relief workers, journalists and others were "taken hostage and put to death in the most barbarous fashion".    Militants have threatened to kill an American and a Briton unless their demands were met, a day after they released footage showing them severing the head of another US hostage Eugene Armstrong.    Mr Armstrong was seized in Baghdad last Thursday along with fellow American Jack Hensley and Briton Kenneth Bigley.    Mr Annan's speech was expected to set a sombre tone for the UN's 59th General Assembly, which has draw 64 presidents, 25 prime ministers, 86 foreign ministers and scores of ambassadors, to UN headquarters for two weeks of public speeches and private diplomacy.    Mr Annan was also expected to issue veiled criticism of the Bush Administration by citing the abuse of prisoners of war.    He said that, at times, the vital struggle against terrorism had interfered with civil liberties and human rights.    Mr Annan was to urge the US and other UN members to embrace treaties to enforce fair trade rules, fight terrorism and the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Mr Annan was also to take issue with Palestinian suicide bombers, Israeli forces and Sudanese militias who the US accuses of committing genocide in Darfur.Again and again, we see fundamental laws shamelessly disregarded.    The UN chief's assessment reflects a concern at the UN that the organisation has devoted too little attention to issues that affect the poor, according to officials, while focusing on security issues that are important to the US.    In an effort to shift the debate on UN priorities, leaders from more than 50 governments attended UN conferences on Monday on hunger and the side effects of globalisation.    "The most destructive weapon of mass destruction in the world today is poverty," said Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who hosted the World Leaders Summit on Hunger at UN headquarters.    · The family of British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who has been threatened with execution in Iraq, has made a desperate appeal to Prime Minister Tony Blair to meet the demands of his kidnappers and save his life. Mr Bigley's son, Craig, said: "I ask Tony Blair personally to consider the amount of bloodshed already suffered. Only you can save him now. You have children and you will understand how I feel at this time."    - Washington Post, Reuters
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