Global Policy Forum

By Jane Martinson

Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, has said the US government's lack of leadership and desire to avoid the loss of American lives is to blame for the failure of peacekeeping operations around the world.

In an interview with Time magazine before next week's UN millennium conference, Mr Annan stops short of directly criticising Bill Clinton's administration. However, his comments make it clear that the US position has hampered efforts by the international organisation to act effectively in trouble zones. "Unless we are prepared to counter force with force, there is very little we can do," he says of humanitarian crises. "The problem is that you have countries like the US that will not accept a single casualty. And that philosophy is spreading."

He implicitly criticises the current administration by praising the behaviour of President George Bush in peacekeeping operations before Mr Clinton was elected in 1992. "Bush had no problem in the Gulf - a vital national interest was at stake there - but he had no problem in Somalia either."

Mr Annan's comments come at a sensitive time for the UN. Some 159 heads of state are to convene for a summit in New York next week. At the same time, the US Congress has agreed to pay $582m (£390m) of its dues to the UN in return for a reduction in its annual payments.