[Cerek]

Sounds like he has some good ideas. I agree that the U.N. needs to be reformed and needs to change their focus and how they do business.

Saddam Hussein should have been removed during Gulf War I, but the U.N. wouldn't allow the troops to advance into Iraq once the troops were pushed back across the border.

The U.N. also needs to put some "teeth" into thier sanctions and actions. While I'm sure the Inspectors did everything the could to find the WMD Saddam had (or allegedly had), the fact remains that Hussein was blantantly "jerking them around". He would often refuse to let them search a particular site for several days (long enough to remove anything incriminating that might be found there) and the Inspectors were basically powerless to do anything about it but complain.

Saddam knew that if he delayed them long enough, that the world would soon shift it's attention elsewhere and basically forget about him...which is what happened. Finally, in 1998, he gave up all pretense of compliance and simply ordered the U.N. Inspectors to leave - which they did gladly because of the frustration level they were experiencing.

It is a refreshing change to see the U.N. telling Sudan "We aren't buying your excuses anymore." They should have done THAT to Saddam several years ago.

This actually gives me hope that the U.N. can become the international force for peace that it was meant to be.