UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan tells the BBC he's sorry he couldn't prevent what's now worse than a civil war in Iraq.
The broadcaster interviewed Anna before he steps down Dec. 31 after 10 years leading the organization. He will be replaced by South Korean Ban Ki-moon.
"A few years ago, when we had the strife in Lebanon and other places, we called that a civil war. This is much worse," Annan said.
He said one of his biggest regrets is his failure to prevent the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, as he said it also shook the foundations of the United Nations.
"It's healing but we are not there yet, it hasn't healed yet and we feel the tension still in this organization as a result of that," Annan said.
Annan, who was born in Ghana, said he was also frustrated by the three years of fighting and estimated 200,000 deaths in Sudan's western Darfur region.
"It is deeply, deeply disappointing and it's tragic," Annan told the BBC. "But we do not have the resources or the will to confront the situation."
