Editor,

RE: "Why is Ban Ki-moon disappointed by the ‘big fish’?” (The New Times, September 20).

One of the reasons why the Syrian war won’t end anytime soon is because foreign powers have chosen to prolong the conflict. Both President Assad’s forces and Syrian rebels have powerful allies (Washington and Moscow) who provide weapons and assistance. And to make matters worse, IS and Al-Qaeda have joined in. It’s a shame that all ceasefire agreements and resolutions collapse while the civilian population is dying.

Damas Mutagoma

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Editor,

The UN has shown, time and again, its ineffectiveness. It is controlled by powerful nations and their interests. During the Genocide against the Tutsi, the UN took three whole months to determine the definition of the word "genocide” and whether or not it applied in that situation.

The UN charter requires its member states to act when a state of genocide is declared and yet at that time no one wanted to get involved. The US was recovering from a tragic incident in Mogadishu and the American public was not keen on approving further actions in Africa. Thus, the UN dragged its feet until the Genocide was over (stopped by the Rwanda Patriotic Front).

The billions of dollars spent by the UN each year could certainly be put to better use to serve the people of the world, but it does have one function, a very important one indeed – helping the powers to feel like they are doing something, thereby allowing them to sleep better at night.

Patrick