U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he’s disappointed by many world leaders who care more about retaining power than improving the lives of their people — and can’t understand why Syria is being held hostage to “the destiny” of one man, President Bashar Assad.
Nearing the end of his 10 years at the helm of the United Nations, Ban spoke frankly about the state of the world and his successes, failures and frustrations as U.N. chief in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press.
The turmoil the world is suffering today isn’t from the people, but is “caused by the leaders,” he said.
For many leaders, the key is to be elected “by whatever means,” Ban said. “Once elected … they rule over people, and they are mostly corrupted, and they do not respect the voices of the people.”
