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Nobel Committee Awards Peace Prize to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan

Aired October 12, 2001 - 11:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Earlier today, Kofi Annan said normally when the phone rings in the early morning hours, it's usually bad news. Today, though, a different story. The Nobel Committee today awarded its rather prestigious peace prize to the U.N. and Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Richard Roth, that is his beat, live from New York now.

Hey, Richard.

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, after the morning wakeup, early-morning wakeup, Secretary-General Annan headed right for the U.N. building, U.N. headquarters here, where he was greeted enthusiastically by members of the staff.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: Any regime or any arrangements which is not seen by the Afghans as homegrown and they do not accept as their own will be difficult. One cannot impose a government on the Afghan people, and this is why we've been working with them over a period, and we're going to work with them. The process may be accelerated, given what is happening. The people themselves may decide the time has come for a change, and I think we should be prepared to work with them and to help them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROTH: Well, obviously, we didn't see the enthusiastic staff. They were outside. Inside was the press conference room where, Secretary-General Annan was looking at he hopes one day could be a broad-based government in Afghanistan, representing all parties there. That's been the goal of the United Nations. Last evening, President Bush of the United States mentioned that the United Nations could play a role and perhaps nation-building in Afghanistan, a type of stabilization.

As for the Nobel Peace Prize, the first time the U.N. itself has won, first time for Annan, second time for a U.N. secretary-general. Everyone in this building -- yes, it's a Friday in New York, but everyone here, the word they say, is it's a boost in the arm, a big shot of enthusiasm for global organization, which has certainly taken its shot. Secretary-General Annan was welcomed in the lobby of the United Nations building. He was on a lectern and he addressed everyone. He received flowers from the Norwegian ambassador outside. Norway, of course, the host government, delivering this Nobel Peace Prize.

For Annan, it's been five years in office. He has been widely praised for his style, his diplomacy. The U.N. has had some success if places like East Timor, but in Bosnia in the '90s, in Somalia, they were widely criticized. And of course when you criticize the U.N., in effect, you're criticizing the 189 countries of the United Nations. But everybody won today.

The U.N. Secretary-General Annan, the secretary-general says he hopes the place doesn't rest on its laurels, there is a lot of work to do. And he told everyone in the audience there that one day soon, maybe one day they will win a Nobel Peace Prize, so he ordered them to go back to work -- Bill.

HEMMER: Richard, that image there, the U.N. workers reminiscent of two and a half, three years ago, on Kofi Annan's return from Baghdad as well. You might remember that quite well.

ROTH: Yes, but they didn't solve Iraq at that point. These two years will have a little bit more meaning at this point. They'll live on.

HEMMER: And with it, close to a million dollars between Kofi Annan and the U.N.

ROTH: Richard, thank you, much appreciated.

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