THE UN: Mr Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, told world leaders yesterday that the time had come to choose either to maintain the international rules written after the second World War or to contemplate "radical changes" to the international security system.
Faced with a new tendency towards unilateral (or ad hoc coalition-based) pre-emptive action, and concerns that the collective security system was inadequate to deal with emerging threats, Mr Annan told the UN General Assembly: "We have come to a fork in the road. This may be a moment no less decisive than 1945 itself, when the United Nations was founded.
"Now we must decide whether it is possible to continue on the basis agreed then or whether radical changes are needed. We must not shy away from questions about the adequacy, and effectiveness, of the rules and instruments at our disposal."
That could include, he said, "a discussion on the criteria for an early authorisation of coercive measures to address certain types of threats; for instance terrorist groups armed with weapons of mass destruction."
It was a powerful speech, which earned a half-minute of applause and set the tone for many of the following speeches.
Mr Jacques Chirac, the French President, agreed that drastic action was needed to defend the multilateral order, but insisted that only multilateralism could address today's complex problems. "There is no alternative to the United Nations. But in the face of today's challenges, this fundamental choice calls for far-reaching reform of our organisation. We must strengthen our means of action to ensure compliance. A culture of confrontation must give way to a culture of action." He proposed a new political forum for economic and social governance, a "permanent corps" of weapons inspectors, and enlargement of the Security Council (to include Germany and Japan).
"It is the role of the council to set the bounds to the use of force. No one is entitled to arrogate to himself the right to utilise it unilaterally and preventively."
In his speech, President Bush also said the world had to make choices. He did not set them out in terms of multilateralism or unilateral action, but of civilisation and barbarism.
"Events have set before us the clearest of divides: between those who seek order and those who spread chaos, between those who work for peaceful change, and those who adopt the methods of gangsters.
"As an original signer of the UN Charter, the United States is committed to the United Nations."
However he presented that commitment not in terms of joint decision-making, but in action towards the ends he believed it stood for. "We show that commitment by working to fulfil the UN's stated purposes, and giving meaning to its ideals."
It was clear any shared agenda for UN reform would be an uphill task. But Mr Annan said issues could no longer be ducked: "In the eyes of your people the difficulty of reaching agreement does not excuse your failure to do so." - (Financial Times)