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Muslims Should Not Be Misled by Bin Laden's Statements: Annan
Emphasizing the universal nature of the U.N. and its values, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that Muslims should not be led astray by statements made by Usama bin Laden.
Responding to Bin Laden's recent comments on the U.N., spokesman Manoel Silva said, "naturally the secretary-general disagrees with it and hopes that Muslims and other people around the world will not be misled by it."
"The secretary-general hopes they will understand that the United Nations is an expression of the will of all its members, the membership of the United Nations is universal, as are the principles enshrined in its charter," the spokesman noted. "The
United Nations does not represent any particular culture, or the views of any single Member State."
The spokesman stressed that the world body's decisions and actions "are those of Member States working together to pursue common goals based on shared values of equality, tolerance, mutual respect and human dignity."
Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect of the September 11 terror attacks on the U.S., has denounced the U.N. as an "instrument of crimes against Muslims."
He also criticized the U.N. for making a decision to support the U.S.-led military strikes against "the weak and poor Afghan people" without any justified proof showing their involvement in the September 11 attacks.
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