U.S. Will Violate UN Charter if It Acts Without Approval

'Bout time Kofi chimed in.

Secretary General Kofi Annan warned today that if the United States fails to win approval from the Security Council for an attack on Iraq, Washington's decision to act alone or outside the Council would violate the United Nations charter.

"The members of the Security Council now face a great choice," Mr. Annan said in The Hague, where he was trying to broker a United Nations deal on Cyprus. "If they fail to agree on a common position and action is taken without the authority of the Security Council, the legitimacy and support for any such action will be seriously impaired."

...Responding to a question on the United Nations Charter, Mr. Annan said the charter is "very clear on circumstances under which force can be used.

"If the U.S. and others were to go outside the Council and take military action, it would not be in conformity with the charter," he said.

Robert Scheer is less diplomatic with his words: "When Bombs Fall, U.S. Will Join Ranks of War Criminals."