UN Secretary General Kofi Annan Thursday placed the
blame for tensions over efforts to reform the UN system particularly the Security Council squarely on the permanent five great powers.
Mr Annan said member states should not let reform of the Security Council drop.
The world has changed since 1945 and the UN has to adapt. "And if we do not do it, it becomes a question of a power struggle. I mean people see it in terms of power - which bloc is gaining, which is going to lose."
He said the Security Council needs to be reformed "to make it more representative, more democratic, and I think if we did that, the Council would gain legitimacy."
The attitude of the permanent five members doesn’t help
The outgoing top UN official said the attitude of the permanent five members has not helped and noted that when they tried to reserve permanent seats in the new Human Rights Council "the membership reacted and they pulled back."
Putting away his diplomatic-speak, Annan went on to blast the approach of the P-5. "That sort of behaviour gives the impression to the others that the desire for power on the part of the powerful is insatiable. And that
leads to ..tensions."
Asked to comment about some of the world’s trouble spots and the nuclear stand-off over Iran and North Korea, the UN chief urged leaders at the centres of these crises to pull back from the brink.
Nuclear proliferation
On the Iranian nuclear situation, Mr Annan, who just a few minutes earlier had met with the Iranian Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, told reporters that he stressed to the Iranian official that it is in Tehran’s interest to convince the world "its interest in nuclear energy is only for peaceful purposes by co-operating fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency".
Similarly, on the nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula he urged the North Korean regime not to escalate the crisis by launching a new long-range missile.
"One would not want to see the testing of that kind of weapon at this time, in that region, when we are dealing with an unresolved nuclear issue", Mr Annan said.
Darfour
With regards to the crisis in Darfur, he said, the international community should "maintain persistent pressure on the rebels" which have not signed the May peace accord and also on those parties, outside the agreement to join it.
Mr Annan said that although Sudanese President Barhir has rejected the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force the talks are continuing and "I hope ultimately we will be able to convince them to accept a UN force."
On the question of Palestine, Mr Annan said he was "extremely concerned about the situation on the ground and the recent escalation of violence and the death of innocent people".
Violence in Iraq
Similarly, he voiced his concerns about the continuing levels of violence in Iraq and called for the international community to support the new government "to stabilise the situation".
Pressed for a comment on the allegation of atrocities by US troops in Iraq, he said "we need to respect the rule of law and rights of individuals: We need to respect them at home and abroad".
On the recent tragic developments in East Timor he said if the UN security Council agrees to the request by East Timor- the UN will send a police contingent to work alongside the international force there from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Portugal.
On a brighter note, asked about the race for his post he said, "quite frankly I am very happy to be above it all. I have no horse in this race or no dog in this fight, it’s a very nice position to be in."