UN scales down ambitious overhaul plans for summit

UNITED NATIONS - Ready or not here they come -- some 150 world leaders were set to approve a somewhat emasculated UN document at the summit on global security, human rights, extreme poverty, and UN management.

Last-ditch crisis talks continued through the night with ambitious goals falling by the wayside in an effort to complete the draft by Tuesday as heads of state and government arrived for the three-day summit that starts on Wednesday.

Developing nations wanted better trade deals and more aid, while the United States and Europe faced watered-down human rights and UN management reform proposals.

Nicola Reindorp, an official of the aid organization Oxfam International, said advocacy groups were disappointed by what would be the final proposals.

"UN ambassadors have been up all night negotiating just to stand still on previous commitments," she said.

The United States is pressing hard for an overhaul of UN management structures that would move control of the UN secretariat away from the General Assembly.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his successors would have more power to set priorities on spending and on mandates, but be subject to oversight and auditors, following a yearlong investigation of mismanagement and corruption in the oil-for-food program for Iraq.

"We are continuing to press hard for effective UN management reforms," US Ambassador John Bolton said during the overnight talks. "We know the outcome document will only be a first step. But the first step is important."

TERRORISM, DISARMAMENT

The other main issues are counterterrorism; a new Peacebuilding Commission to help nations emerging from conflict; a new Human Rights Council to replace the discredited 53-nation Human Rights Commission; non-proliferation and disarmament; foreign aid, trade and economic development; and the responsibility for governments to protect civilians facing genocide and ethnic cleansing.

On terrorism, the text drops language that would have described as "unjustified" deliberate killings of civilians. It also deletes Arab proposals that would refer to the right to resist foreign occupation.

But no sooner was the compromise distributed by British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry than Palestinian envoys said it was unacceptable and a number of Islamic nations sided with them.

"The document deletes the whole paragraph on the distinction between terrorism and the right of people to resist foreign occupation," said Somaia Barghouti, the Palestinian representative. "They can't do that."

Separately, US President George W. Bush and other world leaders with seats on the 15-member UN Security Council will adopt a British-drafted resolution on ways to curb extremists inciting terrorism.

Annan's push to enlarge the Security Council, the most powerful UN body, so far has failed as nations spent months battling each other for seats.

On human rights, the document will call for creating a new Human Rights Council. But Russia, China and some developing nations insisted on leaving out details on how it would work and referring the issue to the General Assembly.

Negotiators reported progress on economic development with Bolton having compromised on his initial insistence the document not include the phrase Millennium Development Goals. These include targets to cut extreme poverty and child mortality in half and reverse the spread of AIDS, all by 2015.

But talks stalled on trade, with developing nations insisting on a reference to reduce farm export subsidies and other trade barriers, as stated in principle in a 2004 World Trade Organization agreement. The United States argued against detailed references to the accord.

World leaders will only spend part of the time on pressing UN reforms. One purpose of any summit is meeting each other and spending hours discussing such issues as Iran's nuclear policy.

Some 4,000 New York police and counterterrorism teams were preparing for the summit by closing streets, setting up no-fly zones over the city, searching vehicles around the UN complex and adding extra security on underground trains.

(additional reporting by Irwin Arieff)

- REUTERS