UN secretary general to warn that pre-emptive strikes are a threat to world peace and stability

Gary Younge in New York, Julian Borger in Washington and Jon Henley in Paris
Tuesday September 23, 2003
The Guardian

The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, will openly challenge the White House doctrine of preemptive military intervention today, arguing that it could lead to the unjustified "lawless use of force" and posed a "fundamental challenge" to world peace and stability.
In a speech to be delivered shortly before George Bush addresses the UN general assembly, Mr Annan will declare that the Iraq crisis brought the UN to a "fork in the road" as decisive as 1945 when the world body was formally established.

The 191 UN member are struggling to heal deep rifts caused by the war on Iraq, in which the US acted without the aproval of the security council.

In a text of his speech released in advance, Mr Annan questions US arguments that nations have the "right and obligation to use force pre-emptively" against unconventional weapons systems, even while they are still being developed.

"My concern is that, if it were to be adopted, it could set precedents that resulted in a proliferation of the unilateral and lawless use of force, with or without credible justification," he says.

more here;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1047826,00.html