Progress depends on ending conflicts - Annan

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned that unless Africa gets a handle on its conflicts, progress will remain tenuous, even in nations not affected by fighting. Opening a ministerial meeting on Africa at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Annan said nations making "good-faith efforts" and adopting enlightened policies deserved much greater support than they were currently getting. "Afro-pessimism is a dead end," he said. "Africa fatigue is an affront to the very idea of a responsible international community." Noting that each crisis situation was different, he said that for the UN and the Council to retain their credibility, "the commitment to peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance and other such action must be applied fairly and consistently, irrespective of region or nation."