SADDAM NOSTALGIA FROM UN SECRETARY GENERAL

Kofi Annan has deep regrets about being unable to prevent the U.S. led invasion of Iraq, which has plunged the country into a situation far worse than civil war:

"A few years ago, when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war. This is much worse."

This is, of course, absurd: some civil wars are bloodier than others.

Annan also expresses a certain fondness for the iron rule of Saddam Hussein:

"If I were an average Iraqi obviously I would make the same comparison, that they had a dictator who was brutal but they had their streets, they could go out, their kids could go to school and come back home without a mother or father worrying, 'Am I going to see my child again?'

"The society needs security and a secure environment for it to get on - without security not much can be done - not recovery or reconstruction."

Under Annan the U.N.'s Iraq plan was to pass meaningless resolutions, engage in endless debate but ultimately to do nothing that might bring about change. This is the same strategy that led to the Rwandan genocide, which took place while Annan was U.N. peace-keeping chief. Annan has regrets about this as well:

"The international community failed Rwanda and that must leave us always with a sense of bitter regret," Mr Annan said.

He said the painful memory had influenced many of his later decisions as secretary general.

"I believed at that time that I was doing my best," he said.

"But I realised after the genocide that there was more that I could and should have done to sound the alarm and rally support."

The head of the peace-keeping force, Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire, thinks events in Rwanda changed nothing at the U.N.:

"I still believe that if an organisation decided to wipe out the 320 mountain gorillas there would be still more of a reaction by the international community to curtail or to stop that than there would be still today in attempting to protect thousands of human beings being slaughtered in the same country."

Here's Annan's idea of action:

Mr Annan announced he was backing a call from the Rwandan government for the world to observe a minute of silence to remember the victims and resolve to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

Unfortunately, the U.N. isn't about to do anything about Darfur either:

"It is deeply, deeply disappointing and it's tragic," said Mr Annan. "But we do not have the resources or the will to confront the situation."

Despite these monumentally fatal failures Annan wouldn't change a thing, giving this advice to his successor:"

He should do it his way. I did it my way, my predecessors did it their way and he should do it his way."

Yes, then he too can retire filled with regret for having done nothing.