Berlin, Nov 24: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has won a German prize for his "moral authority" in the Iraq crisis and efforts to promote peace.
The German media prize, which involves no money, is awarded annually by leading German newspaper, magazine and TV editors to major public figures.
"Especially against the backdrop of the Iraq crisis, ever more people are looking to the United Nations and Kofi Annan as the final moral authority," the prize jury said in
a statement. "Kofi Annan and the UN are facing their greatest
challenge since its founding."
Annan "stands like no other politician for the basic
idea of the United Nations to seek a better organised and more
peaceful world," the jury said yesterday.
He is to receive the prize January 21, 2004 in the spa town of Baden-Baden, with former US President Bill Clinton giving the introductory speech.
Previous winners include Clinton, former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former South African President Nelson Mandela, the late French president Francois Mitterrand,
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the late King Hussein of
Jordan.
Bureau Report
