Annan defines role of UN

New York - The UN must intervene over the rights of sovereign states when necessary to protect civilians from war and mass slaughter…

New York - The UN must intervene over the rights of sovereign states when necessary to protect civilians from war and mass slaughter, the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, said yesterday.

He told delegates to the 54th UN General Assembly that their "core challenge" in the 21st century was "to forge unity behind the principle that massive and systematic violations of human rights - wherever they occur - should not be allowed to stand."

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