WASHINGTON - The United States on Monday welcomed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's move for sweeping reform of the world body but was cool to his proposal to lay down guidelines for the use of military force.
Deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli called Annan's 63-page report "an ambitious agenda for addressing a range of security development issues" at the United Nations, which has often been at loggerheads with Washington.
"We very much appreciate the serious effort that the secretary general's report represents," Ereli told reporters.
He said the United States would assess the proposals but reacted warily to Annan's call for a UN Security Council resolution spelling out when military action by members could be authorized.
"Frankly, we're skeptical that any kind of resolution on the use of force would be helpful," said Ereli, whose country invaded Iraq in 2003 without UN approval.
"Certainly we'd want to discuss it further with others," he said.
Ereli said the UN charter provided for "anticipatory self-defense," and "further actions in terms of a resolution, I think, would have to be looked at carefully to see what they added and (what) positive contribution they could make.
"And that's why we're skeptical, that's why we'd want to be able to look at it carefully," he said.
The initial US reaction came just hours after Annan addressed the UN General Assembly to present what he called the most extensive overhaul of the world body since it was launched 60 years ago.
Ereli gave no detailed reaction to most of Annan's proposals, which also included a revamping of the UN bureaucracy, expansion of the Security Council and a strengthening of efforts on human rights, development and trade.
But he stressed that the United States has long been a proponent of UN reform and added: "We are committed to building a more effective and efficient UN."
One bone of contention between the United Nations and the United States has been the 53-member UN Human Rights Commission, which, Washington complains, includes some of the world's most abusive regimes.
Ereli was noncommittal on Annan's proposal to replace the commission with a human rights council elected by the 191 UN member countries.
"Obviously, the question of the Human Rights Commission has been something that we've been concerned with for some time," he said.
"We appreciate ... the focus that the report gives to the overall question of human rights. And, obviously, we'd be looking at its recommendations in light of past experiences."
Ereli said the report would be debated in the months ahead and signaled a tough US line under hard-nosed diplomat John Bolton, an acknowledged UN critic nominated as Washington's new ambassador to the world body.
"He and all of us are looking to him getting to New York and being able to act on and consult with the UN on these many recommendations," Ereli said.
03/21/2005 19:56 GMT