August 9, 2007
John Edwards and Kofi Annan: Peas in a Pod
Apparently, Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, has a lot in common with John Edwards as far as practicing the fine art of "doing as I say, not as I do:"
A former U.N. secretary-general, Kofi Annan, recently purchased a second multimillion-dollar house, this one in a posh neighborhood in Tangier, Morocco, where his neighbors are said to include pop stars and the country's king, sources said.And one wonders the source of Mr. Annan's fortune - given his relatively paltry salary when he was at the UN:
Mr. Annan was in Morocco earlier this week, calling on European Union leaders to retool their efforts to end poverty in Africa. His brother, Kobina, has for a long time served as Ghana's ambassador in Rabat, where he is considered a top player on the diplomatic scene.
The former secretary-general is currently based in Geneva, where he had reportedly already bought a multimillion-dollar residence in an upscale neighborhood. E-mail messages seeking comment on the Moroccan house purchase were not answered by Mr. Annan's Geneva office.
Mr. Annan's annual salary as secretary-general, a position he held until December 2006, amounted to $300,000. The organization financed his official residency. He currently draws a pension that, according to a U.N. spokesman, is based on the contributions he made to a U.N. pension fund during two separate periods — one spanning more than 30 years as a staff member, and the other during the 10 years he served as the organization's chief.I suppose being held (partially) responsible for the genocide in Rwanda and in the Balkans, being negligent (at best) regarding the oil-for-food scandal, and engaging in politicking on American shores (breaking UN precedent) does not prevent him from treating himself to some baubles. I wonder if his son, a beneficiary of the oil-for-food scandal, is enjoying this romp through the land of luxury.
Annan-pleads against poverty, lives in the lap of luxury. Remind you of anyone? Perhaps someone who rails against the rich while living in a $70 million dollar estate?
John Edwards would get along swell with Kofi Annan.