Iran dropped from Annan's Middle East tour

07 November 2005

November 07, 2005

The secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), Kofi Annan, has abandoned his plan to visit Iran this month shortly before leaving New York for a tour to the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan. A spokesman for the UN said: “The secretary-general and the Iranian government have mutually agreed that this is not an appropriate time for him to travel to Iran." The UN chief was under pressure from US politicians to drop his visit following statement by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, threatening to “wipe Israel off the map.” Annan spoke out publicly against remarks attributed to president Ahmadinejad. The spokesman said that the Annan would use his visit to focus on the Middle East peace process, and the right of all states in the area to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries. He added: “In light of the ongoing controversy, it would have been difficult to advance the agenda that he had wanted to discuss with the Iranian leadership.”