Annan: Iraq 'close to civil war'

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said today that Iraq is close to civil war as the Bush administration stepped up diplomatic efforts to stabilise the violent country.

Asked by reporters at the UN if Iraq is embroiled in civil war, Annan replied: “I think given the developments on the ground, unless something is done drastically and urgently to arrest the deteriorating situation, we could be there. In fact we are almost there.”