A Small Cup of Kofi

Yesterday I had the privilege of seeing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan give an eloquent, if brief, talk on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the University of Maryland. The talk was surrounded by introductions, thanks, and ceremony, but lasted itself only 15 minutes. Presented in a lecture series on peace endowed by the widow of assassinated Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Annan’s speech addressed conflict resolution above all else. And, in contrast to the divided factions protesting on UMD’s College Park campus, he gave both sides their due. Annan described the embattled Middle East as having “an atmosphere of gloom,” in where “only those who believe in might can be confident, and they are misled.”

Annan made the conditions he sees necessary for peace quite clear. Firstly, while recognizing both Israeli and Palestinian attachment to their land, he posited that two states with roughly the ‘67 borders would be the only viable solution. Annan sees Israeli settlers as a detriment to this process, but gave equal criticism to the “wicked” suicide bombings by pro-Palestinian terrorists. He said the UN has a 3 year roadmap towards Palestinian statehood and an overall resolution to this conflict. But his final and most poignant condition was the need for new leadership on both sides, a point that hopefully both Israelis and Palestinians will take to heart. Though brief, Annan’s presence as a speaker made worthwhile the tedious ceremony that preceded his lecture. I’m looking forward to future lectures in the Sadat series, the next of which will be Bill Clinton, if I’m not mistaken.