Madam, - The recent assertion by Clare Short that security around the UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, has been breached calls into question the advisability of continuing to site the UN Headquarters in the US.
More and more the interests of the US conflict with those of the rest of the international community, the recent war in Iraq being an obvious example. The UN tries to steer a steady course between the various interest groups but frequently finds itself muted and impotent. Its location in New York greatly compromises its independence in respect of both security and diplomacy.
It is now time to consider relocating to a safer and politically neutral environment. The UN's voice could then be heard clearly and without the fear of prior interception and distortion. The UN is the only counter-balancing force left in the world against the unilateralism of the US whose interests are those of self-interest.
It is time for the UN to move away from the shadow of "Big Brother" to a more trustworthy site where its moral authority, unmotivated by self-interest, could be exercised in total freedom. - Yours, etc.,
Dr PETER KIRWAN, The Moorings, O'Connell Avenue, Limerick.