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UN Chief Cancels Iran Visit

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announced that a planned trip to Iran would not take place, bowing to international pressure not to give legitimacy to a regime at this time, the president of which called for the destruction of Israel. A spokesman for the Secretary General said that "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."

For its part, Iran said that the Foreign Ministry in Teheran had asked for the cancellation of Annan`s visit, though the vocal denounciations of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Iranian theocratic government not just by Israel and the United States but Australia, Canada, Italy, France, Russia the UK and others more than put pressure on Secretary General Annan to cancel the trip.

He will now travel to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Pakistan. Annan will also visit Paris where he will be meeting President Jacques Chirac on Monday, raising eyebrows as no agenda has been announced for the visit. It is possible, observers say, that Annan and Chirac will discuss how best to calm the riots which have plagued France for well over a week and a half now.