U.N. reform hard to sell, Annan says

UNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Kofi Annan unveiled a plan Monday to overhaul the United Nations and began the task of selling his vision to all 191 U.N. member states, urging them to make the proposals a reality when they meet again in just six months.

He acknowledged that getting agreement so quickly won't be easy for the United Nations, where members historically have been loathe to sacrifice national interests, and action on issues large and small often bogs down in politicking.

But Annan struck a pragmatic and urgent tone for his proposals, which would see the most significant makeover of the world body since it was founded after World War II by putting more emphasis on development, security and human rights issues.

"This hall has heard enough high-sounding declarations to last us for some decades to come," Annan told the General Assembly in an address launching the reform package. "What is needed now is not more declarations or promises."

Annan's plan tackles some of the United Nations' thorniest problems and backs some conclusions of two U.N.-commissioned panels released last year.

It would enlarge the Security Council to include more voices from the developing world and all regions. And it would seek to bring new relevancy to the General Assembly, which has sometimes been hijacked by nations acting in concert to push their own agendas — such as a raft of anti-Israeli resolutions.

The proposals would also try to bring more efficiency and accountability to an organization burdened by allegations of mismanagement in the scandal-ridden U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and claims of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in Congo.

Annan said the next task would be persuading all 191 member states to accept his proposals. He stressed they cannot be adopted piecemeal — or "a la carte," as he called it.

"It's going to take lots of work, lots of work here in this building with the permanent representatives, lots of work with capitals with the heads of state and government, lots of work by certain envoys that I hope to send out," he said. "I'll be on the phone also quite a lot."

Several diplomats and government officials said the report was a good start but they wanted to study it more closely.

The United States, however, rejected a recommendation that the Security Council adopt a resolution specifying the criteria for decisions on whether to use force.