Annan urges UN reform and end to world poverty

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging world leaders to persevere on reforms in the United Nations and take bolder steps to protect human rights and fight world poverty.
Addressing the summit Annan called a year ago to win approval for an ambitious blueprint he hoped would reform the world body on its 60th anniversary, Annan said "a good start" had been made.
Still, he told the leaders Wednesday that the document they will adopt at the end of the UN World summit is not the "sweeping and fundamental reform" he proposed.
Speaking to the more-than 150 presidents, prime ministers and monarchs, Annan called for unity.
"Because one thing has emerged clearly from this process on which we embarked two years ago: whatever our differences, in our interdependent world, we stand or fall together," Annan said.
"Whether our challenge is peacemaking, nation-building, democratization or responding to natural or man-made disasters, we have seen that even the strongest among us cannot succeed alone," he said, apparently referring to difficulties the United States is facing in coping with Hurricane Katrina.
Annan added that there was one area in particular where the UN was still not doing enough.
"Our biggest challenge and our biggest failing is on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament," he said.
"Twice this year... we have allowed posturing to get in the way of resolves. This is inexcusable."
Canada was among 12 countries that tried unsuccessfully to break the logjam.
"I'm disappointed, in terms of the negotiations on UN reform, that there was not more progress in a number of key areas," Prime Minister Paul Martin said in a written statement.
"Frankly this group should have done better and Canada will keep pushing," he said.
Still, he expressed his satisfaction that the UN document is backing his call for the world body to intervene in countries when necessary to stop genocide, war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
"I was delighted that the Canadian principle of Responsibility to Protect is now a principle that belongs to the assembly of nations," Martin said.
As for U.S. President George Bush, he made it clear his priority is stopping terrorists.
He called on the world's leaders to "put the terrorists on notice" by tackling problems that might incite deadly attacks.
"There can be no safety in looking away or seeking the quiet life by ignoring the hardship and oppression of others," Bush said.
"Either hope will spread or violence will spread, and we must take the side of hope," he added, before thanking nations for offers of assistance in the wake of Katrina.