The dictators, cronies, and bagmen of the UN General Assembly gave Kofi Annan a standing ovation today.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan received an unusual standing ovation in the 191-nation General Assembly on Wednesday following calls for his resignation from conservative U.S. lawmakers.

Annan has been accused by some Republicans in the U.S. Congress of presiding over corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq, administered by the United Nations but supervised by the 15-nation Security Council.

“I interpret this long ovation as an acknowledgment of your actions and also an expression of confidence in yourself and also of the work you have undertaken at the helm of the United Nations,” Assembly President Jean Ping of Gabon said after the applause, which lasted nearly a minute.

“In a world that is held hostage to doubt, by confusion and at times to confrontation, you have always remained a point of reference as well as a source of wisdom and of inspiration for millions of individuals worldwide,” Ping said.