Saturday May 27, 2006 Blair joins chorus for UN reform
British Prime Minister Tony Blair called Friday for radical reform of the United Nations, saying the organization created three decades ago to ensure global security is out of touch with contemporary world needs.

Friday May 19, 2006 rci UNITED NATIONS: CANADA WANTS CHANGES FOR SELECTION OF NEW CHIEF
Canadian UN Ambassador Allan Rock has proposed further changes for reform of the world body concerning the selection process for the position of secretary general. Among the five proposals for the selection, Mr. Rock suggested the person serve only one term of either five or seven years. At present, a secretary general can serve two five-year terms. The ambassador explained that the change would relieve the incumbent from the political pressure of winning a second confirmation. Mr. Rock also recommends that the UN draw up a job description outlining the secretary general's duties. Canada also wants member states to be able to meet potential candidates and to interrogate them. At present, the General Assembly confirms a new secretary on the recommendation of the Security Council, the five permanent members of which have the most influence in the final selection. The U.S. UN ambassador, John Bolton, has said that the Council will maintain control of the reform process at the world body.

Sunday May 7, 2006 UNITED NATIONS: RETIRED CANADIAN GENERAL NAMED TO UN POST
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has named retired Canadian General and current Sen. Roméo Dallaire to a committee set up to advise the world body on ways to prevent genocides. Gen. Dallaire will sit on the committee which includes Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and Sadako Ogata, a former UN commissioner for refugees. The committee will advise the UN's special councillor on genocide, Juan Mendez, whose post was created created last month. Gen. Dallaire has first-hand awareness of genocide because he commanded the small UN military force that was unable to prevent the genocide that erupted in Rwanda in 1994. The general has in recent months been worrying publicly about the situation in Sudan's Darfur region.

QUEBEC CITY: PROVINCE GETS PRESENCE AT UN BODY
The Canadian province of Quebec has been given a bigger role in its dealing with the international community, normally the responsibility of the Canadian government. The prime minister, Mr. Harper, announced an agreement on Friday that will allow Quebec a semi-formal presence at the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization also known as UNESCO. As a result, the mainly French-speaking province will have an official representative within the Canadian office at UNESCO in Paris. But the Canadian government says the agreement should not alarm those worrying about Canada speaking with two voices internationally. Wednesday Apr 26, 2006 nyt Making the U.N. Work Management and budget reform are vitally important to the United Nations because its current procedures date to its early days and simply no longer work.

Sunday Mar 26, 2006 The United Nations will replace its controversial Human Rights Commission within three months. The date was determined today one week after the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to replace the Commission by a new Human Rights Council. The Commission was created in 1946. But it came under criticism in recent years because some of its 53 members were notorious for their human rights abuses. Although the new Human Rights Council received wide support, the United States was one of three countries to vote against it. U.S. diplomats say that the Council needs stronger rules to prevent human rights violators from being elected to it

Saturday Mar 18, 2006 rci The United Nations war crimes tribunal says preliminary results of forensic blood tests show that Slobodan Milosevic did not die by poisoning. An autopsy performed on his body last week showed that he had died of a heart attack. But his supporters claimed that the 64-year old Milosevic had been poisoned. He died last Saturday in his prison cell in The Hague, Netherlands. He had been on trial there for the past four years on charges of crimes against humanity. His funeral will be held in Serbia on Saturday.

Tuesday Mar 14, 2006 rci The annual conference of the UN Human Rights Commission has adjourned for one week. The move came just after the session opened in Geneva earlier in the day. UN officials say the delay will give negotiators at the General Assembly in New York more time to agree to a reform plan for the Human Rights Commission. The envisioned plan is deadlocked because of U.S. opposition. It involves replacing the Commission with a Human Rights Council. Members would be expected to have a good record on human rights. Existing members include nations with poor human rights records such as China, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The reform plan is widely backed by Canada and European, Asian and African countries.

Wednesday Mar 8, 2006 nyt Annan Offers His Blueprint to Make the U.N. More Efficient Kofi Annan said the United Nations must adapt to meet its broad operational responsibilities, from human rights to development.

Tuesday Mar 7, 2006 arc East Africa Must Get Drought Aid in Days – UN EL WAK - Aid for victims of a drought across east Africa will run out in April unless help arrives in the next 10 days, a top official of the UN food agency said on Saturday

Sunday Feb 26, 2006 nyt The Shame of the United Nations A once-promising reform proposal for the United Nations Human Rights Commission has been so watered down that it has become an ugly sham.

Thursday Feb 2, 2006 ts UN goes beyond peacekeeping
Once the guns go silent, what comes next?This is being asked around the world, not only in Iraq but also from Haiti to Liberia, from Aceh to Burundi, from Afghanistan to Sierra Leone. All too often an incomplete peace is simply the prelude to renewed armed conflict. Depressingly, the best indicator we have of future conflict within or between countries is a record of past conflict.

2005

Sunday Dec 25, 2005 rci The U.N. General Assembly has passed a budget for next year with an unprecedented spending cap of 950 million dollars for the first six months. It is aimed at pressuring countries into approving management and other reforms. Funding for the second half of 2006 will be released if Secretary General Kofi Annan concludes that enough reforms have been adopted. Weatlhy and developing nations had been at odds over the budget. Developing nations objected to links between the budget and reform, which was a top priority for the US and European Union. The US ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, described the deal as a victory for his country.

Saturday Dec 10, 2005 rci The two-week United Nations Climate Conference Montreal is coming to an end. It appears there will be no overall agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 and beyond. There have been strong efforts to try to convince the United States to join the process. But US officials have resisted attempts to at least participate in the process. Experts say there can be no realistic hope of controlling climate change without the participation of the United States, which accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse emissions.

Saturday Dec 10, 2005 rci The two-week United Nations Climate Conference Montreal is coming to an end. It appears there will be no overall agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 and beyond. There have been strong efforts to try to convince the United States to join the process. But US officials have resisted attempts to at least participate in the process. Experts say there can be no realistic hope of controlling climate change without the participation of the United States, which accounts for about a quarter of global greenhouse emissions.

Saturday Dec 10, 2005 rci The World Health Organization says that the rise of new diseases might be linked to the deterioration of the world's environment. In a new report launched in Bangkok Friday, the WHO says that human health depends closely on natural resources. It noted that the world's eco-system has changed more rapidly in the last half-century than at any other time in human history. The WHO says that much of the eco-system needed to support life had degraded, leading to serious consequences for fish stocks and farmland. The report says that polluted water caused six per cent of all deaths. The report was compiled by 1,300 experts around the world.

Saturday Dec 10, 2005 rci On the eve of International Human Rights Day, the United Nations Friday issued a statement criticizing many governments for their approach to human rights. The statement came from 33 UN human rights experts meeting in Geneva. They expressed alarm over governments that they said brush aside human rights in the name of national security. The statement noted that international law prohibits torture and degrading treatment in all circumstances, including during states of emergency.

United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said Friday he was shocked by comments on Israel delivered by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian leader questioned the the existence of the Holocaust. He also suggested that Israel be moved to Europe. He made the statement on Iranian state television's Arabic-language satellite channel, Al-Alam. Mr. Annan noted that only last month the UN General Assembly passed a resolution which rejects any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event.

Wednesday Nov 16, 2005 OUTGUNNED IN LEBANON By Christopher DeVito
As Syria sweats out a U.N. inquiry and international scrutiny, Lebanon faces a predicament of its own: Can anyone disarm Hezbollah, the 800-pound gorilla of Lebanese politics?

Tuesday Nov 15, 2005 nyt Showdown in Tunis: Internet's future on UN summit's agenda
As the Internet has grown crucial to global commerce, countries are hoping to loosen the U.S.' grip on Web governance during the United Nations' summit on the information age that begins in Tunis tomorrow. While the U.S. argues the Internet works fine as it is, most of the rest of the world claims the Web is a global resource that must be democratized.

Friday Nov 4, 2005 rci Canada's human rights record has come in for criticism at the UN. Its Human Rights Committee in a report expressed criticism of the "security certificates" which are aimed at security against terrorists or other threats to national security. The "certificates" issued by courts at the request of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service enable the government indefinitely to hold in custody non-Canadians feared to present danger prior to their deportation. Their lawyers aren't permitted to take cognizance of the evidence against their clients. Five such people are now in custody under the process. The UN committee says it's concerned that these people have been held for several years without charges and with a limited possibility of judicial review. Canada's foreign affairs department has rejected the criticism, saying that the Anti-terrorism Act excludes deportation of those held under the "certificates" to countries where they could be tortured.

Thursday Nov 3, 2005 rci The United Nations General Assembly has voted by acclamation to designate Jan. 27 as annual Holocaust commemoration day. The resolution to establish the commemoration was first presented by Israel, Canada, Australia, Russia and the U.S. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says the commemoration will be an important reminder of the deaths of six million Jews and others murdered by the Nazis and of the universal lessons that can be learned from their atrocities. The U.S. UN ambassador, John Bolton, says that the call last week by the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for the destruction of Israel proves that not all of the lessons have in fact been learned.

Monday Oct 31, 2005 bbc Back to collaborative diplomacy?
The United Nations Security Council is to vote on Monday on a toughly worded resolution designed to increase international pressure on Syria.

Saturday Oct 29, 2005 rci The UN Security Council has passed a resolution which condemns comments made on Wednesday by the president of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called for Israel to be "wiped off the map." The Council's resolution expressed strong support for reaction on Thursday by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He said that all UN members have accepted a commitment to refrain from threats or the use of force against other member nations, noting as well that Israel is a long-standing UN member. Mr. Ahmadinejad showed he was unrepentant on Friday by joining 200,000 anti-Israel demonstrators in a march in Teheran on Iran's "Jerusalem Day." The president told them said his remarks had upset some people in the West who don't like hearing "the voice of truth-seeking." Canada was among the country's to protest against his comments about Israel on Wednesday.

Saturday Oct 29, 2005 Who Should Control ICANN? The United Nations is looking into taking away U.S. control of ICANN. That's good news--or is it?

<.a>	UN SCANDAL Iraq's oil for food program »Oil-for-food report doesn't clear Annan: former CSIS chief

Friday Oct 28, 2005 ec Volcker's final report on the oil-for-food scandal
The Volcker committee has issued its final report on the UN-administered oil-for-food programme in Iraq, and it makes for grim reading: kickbacks were paid in connection with the contracts of over 2,000 companies. National prosecutors may now take an interest
Full article

Friday Oct 28, 2005 nyt U.N. Reports Rising Flow of Arms From Syria Into Lebanon
By JOHN KIFNER
Lebanon is facing an "increasing influx of weaponry and personnel from Syria" to Palestinian militia groups, a United Nations report said.

Friday Oct 28, 2005 nyt U.N. to Detail Kickbacks Paid for Iraq's Oil
By WARREN HOGE
More than 4,500 companies took part in the oil-for-food program and more than half of them paid kickbacks to Saddam Hussein.

Friday Oct 28, 2005 ts Oil-for-food investigation to name illegal payments
UNITED NATIONS—More than 4,500 companies took part in the U.N. oil-for-food program and more than half of them paid illegal surcharges and kickbacks to Saddam Hussein, the committee investigating the program is to report today

Tuesday Oct 11, 2005 ts Hopes high for Montreal conference
OTTAWA—Canada has high hopes that a mammoth United Nations climate change conference in Montreal next month will launch a new round of international negotiations to replace the flawed Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.

Sunday Oct 9, 2005 ew U.N. Members Look to Loosen U.S. Hold on Web
Other nations are working together to change the way the Internet is governed, but the U.S. so far is giving no ground. .

Tuesday Sep 27, 2005 .. about the only thing the 191 member states of the United Nations can agree upon is that poverty is a bad thing. Have global politics become an impossibility?

Thursday Sep 22, 2005 rci UNITED NATIONS: CANADIAN FM WON'T WRITE OFF UN REFORM
Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew says failure to achieve reform of the United Nations at a recent summit of world leaders doesn't have to mean the effort is dead. Mr. Pettigrew told the General Assembly on Wednesday that the debate can continue. He suggests this year, the 60th anniversary of the world body, become the year of reform. The minister focused on the issue of human rights. He says failures on the human rights front prove that the UN Human Rights Commission needs to be replaced with a new, stronger human rights council. The minister also criticized member nations for not doing enough to further women's rights.

UNITED NATIONS: CANADA WON'T LET CASE OF MURDERED CANADIAN REST
On another subject, Mr. Pettigrew had a meeting at the UN with his Iranian counterpart and again lodged complaints about the case of a Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi, who was murdered while in custody in Teheran in 2003. Mr. Pettigrew repeated Canada's demand that the Iranian authorities offer a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding her death. The Canadian government has accused the Iranian government of trying to cover up Mrs. Kazemi's murder.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 ts Nukes only for peace, Iran's leader tells U.N.
UNITED NATIONS—In a speech that left the most crucial questions of Iran's nuclear program unanswered, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told the U.N. General Assembly yesterday that his country's uranium enrichment activities were justified.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 rci United Nations organizers are expressing confidence that parliamentary elections can go ahead as planned in Afghanistan on Sunday despite violent incidents carried out by Taliban insurgents on the eve of the historic vote.

September 16, 2005 ts Martin tells it like it is at U.N.
UNITED NATIONS?Prime Minister Paul Martin took to the world podium yesterday, telling a gathering of global leaders that the United Nations is at a crossroads, bogged down in a tired status quo and empty rhetoric.

September 16, 2005 rci Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin told the UN General Assembly on Friday that the changes approved for the world body at its summit this week fell short of what it needs to become effective in world affairs. Mr. Martin says UN members needs to abandon "empty rhetoric" in favour of concrete actions to reform. The prime minister deplored the failure this week to expand membership of the Security Council and to leave the functioning of the High Commission on Human Rights untouched. There was also criticism of rich nations that sell arms to the poor and poor countries that spend more on their militaries than on social programs. Canada itself has been criticized for refusing to endorse a UN call for wealthy nations to spend .07 of their GDP on aid to developing nations. Earlier in the week, however, Mr. Martin expressed satisfaction that the world body had accepted the principle that it must intervene in countries the governments of which cannot protect their people in times of civil conflict, a principle which Canada had campaigned for.

September 16, 2005 globe "Martin blasts 'empty' UN reform efforts" Prime Minister criticizes 'empty rhetoric' and demands concrete action to ensure human rights are protected worldwide ... criticizing what he called “empty rhetoric” and demanding concrete action to ensure the protection of human rights around the globe.
“The status quo and too-often empty rhetoric must make way here for a new and pragmatic multilateralism measured by concrete results, not simply by promises,” Mr. Martin told delegates at a world summit marking the UN's 60th anniversary.

Thu 9/15/2005 Former Wednesday Nighter and faithful correspondent, David Jones, is the author of [pdf] A VIEW FROM WASHINGTON: THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT OF THE UN MEETS THE IRRESISTIBLE FORCE OF THE US, published in the current (September) issue of IRPP's Policy Options. Writing from the perspective of a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, David tackles the problems of incompetence in the UN bureaucracy, corruption in its programs, and ineffectual responses to humanitarian crises, from Rwanda to Darfur, offering his usual strong views and some thought-provoking suggestions.
From the Washington perspective of a former US State Department official, the essential conflict between the UN and US is that “the UN resists the reality of US power. Or rather, it wishes the US to use its power only for UN-endorsed objectives.” During the Cold War, the US could always turn to NATO to enforce its policy of containment of the Soviet Union. With the fall of the USSR, the UN came together, in the view of David Jones, to evict Iraq from Kuwait, but then failed to deal with Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Moreover, the UN has been plagued by incompetence in its bureaucracy, corruption in its programs, and ineffectual responses to humanitarian crises, from Rwanda to Darfur. Any program of reform, he suggests, should start at the top, with a new secretary-general.

Thursday Sep 15, 2005 ts Tough wording stays ... thanks to Canada
UNITED NATIONS—A series of weekend phone calls by Prime Minister Paul Martin is being credited with saving a key plank in a United Nations document aimed at preventing the shame of another Rwanda.

Iranian leader takes aim at West
UNITED NATIONS—Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took his country's battle over its nuclear program to the world forum yesterday, lashing out at the United States and other Western countries that have warned against its suspected nuclear weapons development.

Sudan accuses West of ignoring new food crisis
UNITED NATIONS—Sudan's foreign minister said yesterday that the West is ignoring a new hunger crisis in eastern Sudan, complaining that he expected no action until it becomes a full-blown conflict with people dying and refugees fleeing.

Poor nations call for more spending, trade
UNITED NATIONS—Leaders of developing nations called yesterday for more foreign aid and freer trade to help poor countries develop, warning at a U.N. summit that chronic poverty could fuel regional conflict.

The U.N. fails to lead
Feeble. That's the only word to describe the shaky package of "reforms" that Prime Minister Paul Martin and 150 world leaders have been invited to endorse at the United Nations' 60th anniversary summit.

Thursday Sep 15, 2005 Martin meets world leaders at UN 
Prime Minister Martin will hold a series of bilateral talks today with world leaders as the summit marking the 60th anniversary of the United Nations gets under way in New York. 

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin says he's pleased that the UN has accepted Canada's proposal to require the world body to intervene in states the governments of which cannot protect their populations in situations of civil conflict or where genocide is threatened. Mr. Martin describes the UN adoption of the principle as "a Canadian idea" that now belongs to the world. The more than 150 leaders and heads of state and government are gathered at the UN this week to mark the world body's 60th anniversary, and did so on Wednesday by adopting a declaration of principles. However, Mr. Martin says he's disappointed that the reforms fell far short of what the UN needs. Developing nations scuttled language in a draft document which recommended "peace-building" measures as detrimental to their national sovereignty, and likewise rejected UN administrative reforms which they claimed would have lessened their influence at the UN. Authoritarian states rejected reform of the UN High Commission for Human Rights. Both Canada and the U.S. rejected the draft document's recommendation that wealthy states promise to commit .07 of their GDP to aid to the developing world. Mr. Martin repeated his previous position that Canada would only make that commitment when in a position to reach that target.

Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Minister of Justice Irwin Cotler say that Ottawa has ratified the United Nations Optional Protocol against the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Mr. Pettigrew says Canada is reaffirming the commitment it made at the 2002 UN's Special Sessions on Children. And he encouraged other states to do the same.
The Optional Protocol requires states to pass laws to prohibit child prostitution, child pornography and the sale of children

Thursday Sep 15, 2005 nyt U.N. vs. Poverty: Seeking a Focus, Quarreling Over the Vision
By CELIA W. DUGGER
The General Assembly's quest to relieve crushing poverty has been overshadowed by Katrina, the oil-for-food scandal and squabbling over reform of the U.N. itself.

The Lost U.N. Summit Meeting
A once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform and revive the United Nations has been squandered.

Wednesday, 14 September 2005, bbc UN envoys agree reform blueprint
Diplomats in New York have agreed on a draft package of reforms for the historic World Summit due to open at the United Nations on Wednesday.
The draft was hammered out after weeks of bitter wrangling and pledges to honour anti-poverty goals, but other points are diluted or omitted entirely.

Tuesday Sep 13, 2005 np Crucial UN reform plan crumbling Blueprint for change gutted

Saturday Sep 10, 2005 rci The United Nations says some 10.7 million people across southern Africa face serious food shortages this year. It gives the examples of Mozambique and Malawi as being in desperate need of international food aid after this year's crop failures. The U.N. World Food Programme says the effects of drought are compounded by poverty and the death of breadwinners and farmworkers from AIDS. The British-based aid agency Oxfam says that without immediate food donations, the world risks repeating the mistakes made in Niger in western Africa, where donations arrived too late and the cost of subsequent relief operations rose dramatically.

Friday Sep 9, 2005 ec The UN's Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals cannot be met; some can barely be measured. What, then, are they for?

Tuesday Sep 6, 2005 iht U.S. accepts UN's aid offer as Katrina's toll grows The U.S. has accepted the United Nations' offer of help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which wreaked havoc in the Gulf of Mexico region and is believed to have killed thousands, the world body confirmed Sunday. UN officials have traveled to Washington to discuss with government officials how the world organization can best can the relief effort.

Thursday Sep 1, 2005 ec The upcoming UN summit America has requested extensive last-minute changes to a draft agreement on reforming and modernising the United Nations. Painful negotiations lie ahead of next month’s summit of world leaders
Full article

Wednesday Aug 31, 2005 gazStanding on guard for the UN"

Friday Aug 12, 2005 nyt Oil-for-Food Corruption
The latest report on the oil-for-food program at the United Nations and a guilty plea by a procurement officer provide the most troubling evidence yet of criminality at the U.N.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has moved the target date for expanding the Security Council from September to December. Mr. Annan called for expansion of the 15-member council in March on the grounds that it reflects the balance of power in 1945. He originally wanted a new expanded Council by September. That's when world leaders meet to approve reforms that would affect how the UN deals with such issues as development, security and human rights. However, proposals on expanding the Security Council have resulted in a deadlock. The 53-member African Council and the Group of Four, Japan, Germany, Brazil and India, have similar but different proposals which have divided the General Assembly. A Canadian-led proposal would maintain the original five permanent seats, and distribute 10 non-permanent regional seats.

Monday Aug 1, 2005 rci CANADA PUTS FORTH PLAN FOR REFORM OF SECURITY COUNCIL Canada has prepared a plan to reform the United Nations' Security Council. The document was submitted by Canada's ambassador to the UN, Allan Rock. It calls for elections every two years to fill 20 temporary seats on the Council. Mr Rock says this would render the body more democratic and accountable. In a related story, Italy's ambassador to the United Nations has accused the so-called Group of Four nations of using aid money to win support for their resolution to enlarge the 15-member Security Council. Brazil, India, Japan and Germany want permanent seats on the Council. The ambassador, Marcello Spatafora, says the G-4 are putting financial pressure on other nations to vote for them by offering or withdrawing donor aid. Mr Spatafora prefers the Canadian proposal.

Nairobi, 28 July 2005 un Statement by Klaus Toepfer in Response to US-Led Climate Initiative

Tuesday Jul 19, 2005 ts Strong loses job as U.N. envoy
UNITED NATIONS—Canadian businessman Maurice Strong lost his job as the top U.N. envoy to North Korea amid questions about his connection to a suspect in the U.N. oil-for-food scandal, the world body said yesterday.

Tuesday Jul 19, 2005 The UN says it hasn't renewed the contract of a Canadian diplomat whose main job was to monitor the six-nation negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program. The UN said the contract held by Maurice Strong expired last week, without offering any explanation. It is known, however, that Mr. Strong employed his stepdaughter, whereas UN rules generally forbid such situations. He has acknowledged a connection with a South Korean businessman who has been accused by the U.S. attorney general's office of having illegally lobbied on behalf of overthrown Iraqi dictator within the defunct oil-for-food program.

Tuesday Jul 19, 2005 rci Brazil, India, Germany and Japan have failed to reach an agreement with the African Union on rival proposals to expand the UN Security Council. They will resume their talks this week. Without the support of the African Union, the four countries have little hope of winning the necessary two-thirds majority from the UN General Assembly to expand the Security Council. Conversely, African nations have little hope of winning permanent seats on the Security Council without support from Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, and their supporters. The four countries propose expanding the Security Council by six new permanent seats, including two for Africa. The African Union has proposed six new permanent seats, including two for Africa, but with veto powers. A third proposal calls for ten new non-permanent seats. China opposes a Council seat for Japan on the grounds that that country refuses to acknowledge war atrocities.

Thursday Jul 14, 2005 rci The United Nations Secretary-general says the UN Security Council needs to be expanded because it is no longer democratic. Kofi Annan spoke after a warning from the United States on Wednesday that the Bush administration did not want any changes to the Security Council. Meanwhile, a deadlock is emerging at the UN between rival plans for expansion. The African Union wants two more permanent seats with veto power for Africa and two non-permanent seats for the continent. A separate proposal by Germany, Brazil, Japan and India calls for two permanent seats without veto for Africa and one non-permanent seat for Africa. The five permanent members of the council are divided on the issue. The United States and Russia oppose expansion of the Security Council. China rejects Japan's inclusion. France and Britain support the resolution by Germany, Brazil, Japan and India.

Thursday Jul 14, 2005 rci The United States has spoken out against a resolution to expand the 15-member UN Security Council. Brazil, Germany, Japan and India have introduced a UN General Assembly resolution to add six permanent seats to the council including two for Africa. They alsOWN four non-permanent seats. Tahir-Kheli, an advisor to the US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, told the General Assembly that the Bush administration wanted no change. He also said that the U.S. Senate would determine whether any expansion to the UN Security Council makes it more effective. The resolution has not yet been put to a vote. However, the Security Council would have to accept any final decision for expansion and the United States has the power to veto such a move.

Tuesday Jun 14, 2005 nyt SPOTLIGHT: UN REFORM: U.S. task force suggests far-reaching UN overhaul
A bipartisan task force created by the U.S. Congress plans to release a report Wednesday that says the United Nations suffers from bad management, low staff morale and a lack of accountability, but the report also backs the reforms proposed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, The New York Times reports. Specific recommendations by the task force, created in December to suggest ways of making the UN more effective include the world body creating a rapid reaction force designed to prevent mass killings worldwide. New York Times, The (6/13)

Monday Jun 13, 2005 nyt U.S. Panel's Report Criticizes U.N. and Proposes Overhaul
By WARREN HOGE
UNITED NATIONS, June 12 - A Congressionally mandated panel will report this week that the United Nations suffers from poor management, "dismal" staff morale and lack of accountability and professional ethics but will acknowledge the broad changes proposed for the organization by Secretary General Kofi Annan and urge the United States to support them.
Among its recommendations, the panel says the United Nations should put in place corporate style oversight bodies and personnel standards to improve performance. It also calls on the United Nations to create a rapid reaction capability from its member states' armed forces to prevent genocide, mass killing and sustained major human rights violations before they occur.

Monday Jun 6, 2005 rci UN members have received the first draft of a plan for overhauling the world body. It includes demands to pay more attention to poverty and human rights. But the document avoids several contentious issues, including the expansion of the Security Council, defining terrorism and guidelines for using force. The UN's 191 member states will have a few weeks to study the draft, before they begin consultations later this month. They face a tight deadline, as Secretary General Kofi Annan has called a summit in September to agree on reforms that would strengthen the United Nations.

Monday May 16, 2005 ts U.N. oil-for-food program profited Russians: Report
WASHINGTON—Top Kremlin operatives and a flamboyant Russian politician reaped millions of dollars in profits under the U.N. oil-for-food program by selling oil that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein allowed them to buy at a deep discount, a Senate investigation has concluded.

Tuesday May 3, 2005 Foreign ministers from around the world met at the United Nations on Monday to begin a month-long review of the 35-year-old nuclear non-proliferation treaty. The treaty has come under serious challenges in recent years. The majority of nations complain that the nuclear powers, mainly the United States and Russia, have moved too slowly in abiding by the treaty, which calls for both nations to move toward dismantling their arsenals. In his opening address. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged nuclear powers to work toward "a reduced nuclear threat, and ultimately a world free of nuclear weapons." If U.S. officials get their way, however, the focus of the review will shift to Iran and North Korea. The 188 members of the 1970 treaty---cornerstone of all arms reduction treaties---meet every five years to review progress and to set new goals. Only the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China are permitted to have nuclear arms while all other countries must give up atomic warheads for good. India and Pakistan, which have nuclear weapons, are not signatories to the treaty. North Korea withdrew from the treaty.

Friday, 29 April, 2005 bbc
France's Delors upbeat on EU vote

Friday Apr 22, 2005 globe
Strong resigns UN post, vows to clear his name
Vows to clear name after being linked to Korean lobbyist charged in connection with the Iraq oil-for-food scandal

Friday Apr 22, 2005 ts
Canadian suspends work on N. Korea
UNITED NATIONS—The top U.N. envoy for North Korea, Canadian businessman Maurice Strong, decided to suspend his work while investigators probe his ties to a South Korean businessman accused of wrongdoing in the oil-for-food scandal, a U.N. spokesperson said yesterday.

Thursday Apr 21, 2005 un
ANNAN: WORLD NOT PAYING ENOUGH ATTENTION TO DEVELOPMENT

Thursday Apr 21, 2005 The top UN envoy for North Korea has decided to suspend his work for the world body as a result of the revelation of his relations with a South Korean businessman. A spokesman for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan says that Maurice Strong took the decision of his own volition after the U.S. attorney's office accused Tongsun Park of involvement in the UN's food-for-oil scandal involving Iraq. The accusation was that Mr. Park worked as an illegal lobbyist in the U.S. and accepted millions of dollars from the Iraqi government in crooked deals involving the UN program. Mr. Strong, himself a wealthy businessman, has acknowledged having had a business relationship with Mr. Park in 1997 but denies have had any hand in the food-for-oil program.

Friday Apr 15, 2005 rci The Secretary-General of the United Nations says that the United States and Britain are partly to blame in the oil-for-food debacle. Kofi Annan says Saddam Hussein took advantage of oil exports because Washington and London did not supervise them. Mr. Annan says that most of the money Saddam Hussein earned was from selling oil to Jordan and Turkey, outside the $67-billion UN program to those countries. Mr. Annan says only the United States and Britain had forces that could have stopped the illegal sales but did nothing because Jordan and Turkey are their allies. Under the oil-for-food program, Saddam Hussein was allowed to sell oil to buy civilian goods. The program was aimed at easing the impact 1990 sanctions on Iraq's population.
Thursday Apr 7, 2005 un Bush Nomination of John R. Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations Faces Hurdles Republican and Democratic Senate staff members said that Mr. Bolton would probably be approved, but that if all 8 Democrats were joined by one of the 10 Republicans on the committee to make it a tie vote, the nomination could not go to the Senate floor and would most likely be blocked.
Thursday Apr 7, 2005 un WHO: World not so healthy on World Health Day Despite advances in medicine, the health situation for mothers and babies has declined since the 1990s, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, the World Health Organization said today. In delivering dire news on World Health Day, the WHO's annual report stated a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth and 20 children pass away from a preventable disease every minute.
Thursday Apr 7, 2005 ips U.N. Chief Tries to Boost Staff Morale, Faults Media Attacks After facing a barrage of criticism -- mostly from neoconservatives and right-wing newspapers in the United States -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided Tuesday to address staff members in an attempt to boost sagging morale in the organization.

Wednesday Mar 30, 2005 ts Kofi Annan bruised by oil-for-food probe
UNITED NATIONS—Secretary-General Kofi Annan emerged weakened and bruised yesterday from the most serious scandal to hit the United Nations in decades.

Wednesday Mar 30, 2005 ts
Let Kofi Annan stay on The United Nations oil-for food program in Iraq was a fiasco. Iraq pumped $64 billion in oil under strict U.N. controls from 1996 to 2004. It should all have been spent on the Iraqi people. But Saddam Hussein siphoned off $2 billion or more in kickbacks, surcharges and other scams, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has reported. And smugglers took $9 billion more, with the knowledge of the United States and other major powers.

Wednesday Mar 30, 2005 ts
Annan bruised by oil-for-food probe
UNITED NATIONS—Secretary-General Kofi Annan emerged weakened and bruised yesterday from the most serious scandal to hit the United Nations in decades.

Saturday Mar 26, 2005 ts
Scandal blackens U.N. `blue helmets` The year 1988 was a proud one for the United Nations. Its peacekeepers won the Nobel Prize: "The very presence of the United Nations troops can have a positive effect," pronounced the Nobel committee chairman. "The soldiers very often make friends among the local population, they can offer help and aid in many ways and are a conciliating element in otherwise explosive situations."

Tuesday Mar 22, 2005 ts
1 billion lack safe water: U.N.
GENEVA—Tsunami-hit nations were able to avoid major outbreaks of disease mainly because of the rapid deployment of clean water and sanitation teams, the international Red Cross said today.

Monday Mar 21, 2005 rci UNITED NATIONS: CANADA LIKES SUGGESTED UN REFORMS Canada's UN ambassador, Allan Rock, says he's impressed with the proposals of UN general secretary Kofi Annan's to reform the world body, some of which he says are among Canada's priorities for the world body. He mentioned the secretary general's support of the notion of the world community's responsibility to intervene to protect civilian populations in nations where civil war has erupted. International human rights groups have reacted favourably to the proposals to reform the world body. They include a plan to restructure the UN High Commission on Human Rights. The Commission has often attracted the criticism that some of its 53 members chosen regionally are themselves rights violators. Mr. Annan wants a smaller Commission, the members of which would be chosen by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. The reformed Commission would sit all year round instead of meeting only for six weeks. The New York-based Human Rights Watch lobby and Amnesty International say they approve the suggestions. The secretary general also wants to expand the current 15-nation membership of the Security Council to 24 seats.

Monday Mar 21, 2005 rci In response to growing criticism of the United Nations, Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to propose sweeping reforms in a report to the world body on Monday. IN his report, he'll seek a quick decision on expanding the Security Council, which now has 15 permanent and rotating members. It's expected that he'll also propose ways in which the U.N. can be the primary setting for global security decisions and the key player in international development issues. The U.N. appeared to be ineffective in preventing the United States and its allies from invading Iraq two years ago. Mr. Annan is also proposing the creation of a Human Rights Council that will crack down on national leaders who ignore or abuse human rights. Implementing the reforms will depend on the endorsement of the 191-member General Assembly and on the agreement of world leaders who will meet at a U.N. summit in September.

Monday Feb 14, 2005 ts
U.N. human rights chief Louise Arbour addresses a Moscow news conference yesterday. Arbour calls on Russia to curb Chechen abuse Arbour calls on Russia to curb Chechen abuse
MOSCOW—Canadian Louise Arbour, appointed the United Nations` top human rights defender last summer, capped her first official visit to Moscow yesterday by calling on Russia to do more to investigate allegations of widespread abuse by its forces in the war-torn region of Chechnya.

Monday Feb 14, 2005 ts
Canada to host U.N. forum on climate change in fall
OTTAWA—Canada will play host to a mammoth U.N. meeting of climate experts and government officials from around the world to look at how well the Kyoto protocol is being implemented, the Star has learned.

Volcker's awkward questions Feb 4th 2005

Wednesday 19 January 2005 nyt
Annan Planning Deep Changes in U.N. Structure, Aide Says Spurred by allegations of fraud and mismanagement in its handling of the oil-for-food aid program in Iraq, a senior United Nations official [Mark Malloch Brown] says Secretary General Kofi Annan is trying to embark on a series of changes in how the organization is organized and does business.

Saturday Dec 11, 2004 cbc
FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM THREATENS HUMAN RIGHTS: UN
United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour warned Friday that governments around the world should be careful not to abuse human rights in their fight against terrorism.
...Arbour cited examples such as the Sudanese province of Darfur and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq as instances where human-rights violations had been especially visible in 2004.

Friday Dec 10, 2004 ts
Even U.S. benefits from effective U.N.
For a decade and a half, Iraq has been a disaster for the United Nations. The Security Council repeatedly failed to enforce its own sanctions and stand behind its rules for arms inspectors. The poorly run oil-for-food program was a swamp of corruption. The United States invaded Iraq without U.N. approval. A car bomb destroyed the U.N.`s Baghdad headquarters, killing one of its brightest stars.

Friday Dec 3, 2004 cbc
Canada`s global hopes get a boost from U.N.
OTTAWA—Paul Martin says a new high-level United Nations report will give momentum to the Liberal government`s goal of giving Canada a greater role in world affairs.

Friday Dec 3, 2004 cbc
Canada`s U.N. vote breaks tradition
OTTAWA—Canada has broken with tradition, voting yesterday against the first of an annual series of United Nations resolutions condemning Israel.

Friday Dec 3, 2004 cbc
UN PANEL WANTS BIGGER SECURITY COUNCIL A report presented to the United Nations secretary general on Thursday called for the enlargement of the UN Security Council as the key plank in a reform program intended to make the world body more effective.

Towards a more relevant United Nations Dec 1st 2004

OTTAWA: PM WELCOMES PLAN TO REFORM UN On another subject, Mr. Martin has greeted a report made public earlier this week to reform the world body. He noted with satisfaction that the document adopts several suggestions put forward by Canada. One proposal would give the UN the power to intervene in countries the leaders of which don't act to prevent humanitarian disasters, such as the one in the Sudanese region of Darfur. Under a second proposal, the UN would help create an "L20" grouping of nations, including industrialized nations like Canada and the other G-7 nations and 13 developing countries like Brazil and India. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had asked a Committee of the Wise to draw up the report to give the UN advice on how to adapt to the new challenges of the 21st century. The report also suggests ways to reform the Security Council.

UNITED NATIONS: CANADA SUGGESTS NEW UN PATH FOR MIDEAST Canada has suggested that the UN re-examine its approach to solving the problems of the Middle East. Canada UN's ambassador, Allan Rock, made the suggestion in a debate in the General Assembly Thursday. Delegates were discussing an annual resolution inviting a commission of the assembly to continue its labours to bolster the rights of Palestinians. The resolution passes every year by a huge margin. Before Thursday's vote, Mr. Rock suggested that that resolution and many similar ones are debated each year in the Assembly, but that a great many of them are redundant, outdated and more aimed at oratorical effects than at results. Mr. Rock added that Canada remains in support of the Palestinians' human rights and the creation of a Palestinian state. For the first time, Canada voted against the resolution. The result was 104

Sunday Nov 28, 2004 cbc
OIL-FOR-FOOD FIRM PAID ANNAN'S SON LONGER THAN THOUGHT: UN The United Nations admitted Friday that the son of Secretary General Kofi Annan was getting monthly payments from a firm with an Iraqi oil-for-food contract for much longer than the UN had acknowledged.

Monday Nov 15, 2004 OTTAWA: CANADA IS CRITICAL OF UNITED NATIONS ACTION IN DARFUR
The United Nations is dragging its feet in trying to halt the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region, says Canada's prime minister, Paul Martin. By the U.N.'s own estimate, some 70,000 people have died in a civil war that started in the area nearly two years ago. Mr. Martin plans to visit the stricken Sudanese region later this month. In September, the federal government agreed to spend CDN$20 million to help supply and train an African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur. About one-quarter of that money has already been spent. On Saturday, Mr. Martin said that Canada will spend more if the African Union needs to send a larger force to the area. "I spoke to the president of Nigeria, the head of the African Union responsible for providing the troops, and it will come down to the number of troops," said Mr. Martin after a speech to his Liberal Party caucus in Penticton, British Columbia. "Canada must help create a permanent pan-African peacekeeping regiment that will be ready to move in the future to stop fighting before it gets as deadly as it has become in Darfur." w-n Sudan

Monday Oct 4, 2004 ts Bush must now ask for U.N.`s help It is just 18 months since the United States, backed by forces from Britain, Australia, Poland and Denmark and supported by 44 other nations, invaded Iraq.

Thursday Sep 23, 2004 cbc
End Darfur pain: PM
UNITED NATIONS—"Tens of thousands have been murdered, raped and assaulted. War crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed."

Agreed at last Jun 8th 2004

Thursday May 6, 2004 ts
CANADA RE-ELECTED TO UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION Canada is one of 14 new members elected to the United Nations human rights watchdog for a two-year term beginning in 2005. Canada was one of four countries vying for the three seats available on the 53-member Commission On Human Rights.

Saturday 6 Mar 2004 UNITED NATIONS: UN CHIEF TO VISIT CANADA
The United Nations has announced that its secretary general, Kofi Annan, will start a three-day visit to Canada next Monday. The sources at the UN say he'll meet with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and members of his cabinet, as well as with Gov.-Gen. Adrienne Clarkson. Mr. Annan also will have talks with Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louise Arbour. She'll leave the high court in June to become the head of the UN High Commission for Human Rights. The secretary general also will address a joint session of Parliament.

United Nations has blown a hole in the Americans' plan

Friday 27 Feb 2004 cbc
SPYING ON UN IS ILLEGAL, BRITAIN TOLD The United Nations is disturbed by reports that Britain spied on its secretary general, and says if true the bugging of offices and other espionage must stop immediately.

Thursday 26 Feb 2004 ec
The United Nations has blown a hole in the Americans' latest plan without exactly suggesting what to put in its place

Monday Jan 19, 2004 ts
Retired Canadian Gen. Romeo Dallaire, in charge of the 1994 U.N. peacekeeping mission in Rwanda during the 100 days of genocide, testifies in court today. Dallaire prepares to face his 'devil'
General to appear at Rwanda tribunal
He'll testify against alleged mastermind
ARUSHA, Tanzania—Retired Canadian Gen. Roméo Dallaire takes the stand this morning at the Rwanda tribunal to testify against Theoneste Bagosora, one of the alleged architects of the 1994 genocide

2003

Monday Dec 22, 2003 Libya has told the United Nations it will open its atomic facilities to unannounced inspections. The deal goes beyond the basic demands of the main nuclear arms control treaty. Diplomatic sources said Sunday Libyan officials made an offer to sign the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at a meeting with Mohammed ElBaradei, head of the UN's IAEA nuclear watchdog, in Vienna on Saturday. The meeting came a day after Libya sought to restore ties with the West by vowing to give up banned weapons. Also on Sunday, Libyan officials said the decision to abandon secret efforts to build an atomic bomb and chemical weapons was driven by a need to develop its economy and boost the living standards of its people.

Wednesday Dec 17, 2003 cbc
RICH, POOR DISCUSS INTERNET AT WORLD SUMMIT
Disputes between industrialized and developing countries over control of the internet threaten to steal the spotlight at a UN summit aimed at expanding access to information technology.

Friday Nov 28, 2003 A new report by the United Nations children's organization, UNICEF, has painted a grim picture for millions of children around the world whose parents were killed by AIDS. The children are left without income, education or emotional support. According to the report, by the end of 2001, eleven million children had lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. By 2010, that number is expected to rise to about 20 million. The worst-affected countries are those in Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The president of UNICEF Canada, David Agnew, recently returned from a trip to Zimbabwe. He says it would be impossible to meet anyone there who hasn't been affected in some way by AIDS

Sunday Oct 5, 2003 bbc

What next for UN? Difficult decisions for UN as it reaches a "fork in the road"

Saturday Oct 4, 2003 bbc
1990s boom 'stunting world growth'
Global growth is being held back by the legacy of the boom years and there is little prospect of recovery, the UN says.

Tue, 23 Sep 2003 cbc
BUSH ASKS UN TO HELP REBUILD IRAQ U.S. President George W. Bush asked the international community to "step forward" Tuesday and help in the rebuilding of Iraq.

Sunday Jul 13, 2003 LONDON: CHRETIEN WANTS POLICY ON INTERVENTION
Prime Minister Jean Chretien was in London Saturday taking part in The Third Way conference attended by thirteen heads of state and hundreds of policy makers. One of the subjects on the agenda was how nations should deal with the issue of intervening in another country's affairs when citizens are being harmed. Mr. Chretien called on the international community to find a mechanism by which nations could intervene in a case where another nation does not protect its own citizens. He said it was time the UN looked at and developed a coherent policy to deal with such situations. Mr. Chretien offered to lead a debate on the subject and reiterated Canada's continued commitment to peacekeeping around the world. Mr. Chretien appeared warm to an idea from former US President Bill Clinton that NATO take a role in rebuilding Iraq. The proposal was presented Saturday at a round-table discussion with Mr. Chretien, who said it was not a bad idea, but added he was not sure if it would work. Mr. Chretien also met Saturday with former South African president Nelson Mandela and New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Sunday and Monday the leaders will meet in private to discuss immigration, the threat of terrorism, crime and the global economic slowdown.

4-13 June 2003 iisd

PREPARE FOR KYOTO'S ENTRY INTO FORCE

Wednesday Jul 9, 2003 bbc
World poverty fight 'in danger'
The rich world is running dangerously short of time to redeem its promises on helping the poor, the United Nations says.
Despite three years of concerted effort, some countries have recently begun to get poorer.
On present trends, some African countries will not vanquish poverty until 2165, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) believes.

Wednesday Jul 9, 2003 cbc
POOR COUNTRIES WORSE OFF: UN REPORT The world's richest nations are not keeping their promises to address the "most enduring failures of human development," says a new United Nations report.

Sunday Jul 6, 2003 w-n
CANADA'S RANKING SLIPS LOWER ON UN LIST
See what Jean Chretien did for us

30 April, 2003
Representatives of major North American companies have met to establish a regional "learning forum" to promote United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Global Compact initiative, which seeks to advance good corporate citizenship and responsible globalization.

Thursday Apr 17, 2003
The United Nations Human Rights Commission has rejected a motion to condemn alleged abuses in Sudan and Zimbabwe. The motion had been brought by the European Union, backed by the U.S. But African nations rallied to defeat it. The text of the motion accused the government of Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe of many cases of assault and torture and violations of the freedoms of expression, opinion and assembly. Regarding Sudan, members of the Commission rejected a report by their own investigator that there had indeed been human rights abuses. Western diplomats and human rights have reacted to the defeat of the EU motion by saying the Commission has become increasingly reluctant to blame any nation for human rights abuses. They attribute the situation in part to the fact that many Commission member states themselves have poor human rights records.

Saturday Mar 29, 2003 cbc
UN VOTES TO REVAMP OIL-FOR-FOOD IN IRAQ The UN Security Council unanimously voted Friday to restart the multibillion-dollar Iraqi oil-for-food program, although it's not clear when aid workers will be able to return to the country.

Saturday Mar 29, 2003 cbc
INDONESIA PUSHES FOR DENUNCIATION OF IRAQ INVASION Indonesia is urging the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly to condemn the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as an "act of aggression," an official said Friday.

Saturday Mar 29, 2003 cbc
UN APPEALS FOR BILLIONS IN AID TO IRAQ The United Nations called on the world Friday to come up with an immediate $2.2 billion (US) in food and other emergency supplies for Iraq.

Wednesday Mar 19, 2003 cbc
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO UN WALKS OUT OVER IRAQI CLAIMS The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations walked out of the chamber after the Iraqi ambassador claimed the U.S. was engaged in genocide.

Wednesday Mar 19, 2003 cbc
UN PREPARES TO DEAL WITH AFTERMATH OF WAR Possibly the last diplomatic protest to war was registered in a public meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday.

Wednesday Mar 12, 2003 ec
War without compromise Diplomats are scrambling to find some sort of compromise over Iraq which could be supported by the UN Security Council as it prepares to vote on a crucial second resolution. Whatever the outcome, war looks to be only days away

Wednesday Mar 12, 2003 ec
The UN Security Council
Given the trouble it might cause them, many of the UN Security Council’s non-permanent members wish they did not have to decide on a war in Iraq

Wednesday Mar 12, 2003 ec
International Criminal Court America is not only at odds with Europe over Iraq—the newly launched International Criminal Court is another bone of contention. The fight over the scope of its jurisdiction has obscured its largely admirable ambitions

Monday Mar 10, 2003 bbc
The veto and how to use it Since 1945, when the United Nations was founded, the Soviet Union and Russia have used their veto at the Security Council 120 times, the United States 76 times, Britain 32, France 18 and China only five.
The word "veto" is actually never used in the United Nation's charter.

Monday Mar 10, 2003 cbc
DISARMING WON'T STOP WAR: IRAQI OFFICIAL A top Iraqi official said Sunday he believes the United States is determined to go to war no matter what happens at the United Nations Security Council this week.

Monday Mar 10, 2003 cbc
BUSH PLAYING POWER GAME, SAYS FORMER UN WEAPONS INSPECTOR Former chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler is criticizing U.S. President George W. Bush's approach to the Iraq crisis, saying it undermines the United Nations.

Monday Mar 10, 2003 cbc
UN WITHDRAWS WORKERS FROM KUWAIT BORDER The United Nations began sending its civilian staff from the the Iraq-Kuwait border Saturday as the U.S. continued preparations for a possible war.

Sunday Mar 9, 2003 TORONTO: CANADA HEARTENED BY BRITISH COMPROMISE ON IRAQ Canada's foreign minister, Bill Graham, says he's pleased with Britain's compromise proposal at the United Nations concerning Iraq because it would provide more time to find a peaceful resolution to the crisis involving that country. Britain suggested on Friday that Iraq be given until March 17 to disarm. Mr. Graham says the idea doesn't mean Iraq has to disarm completely by then but to show a "fundamental willingness" to do so. The foreign minister says it's now up to the members of the Security Council to discuss the proposal among themselves. The British proposal resembles one put forward last week by Canada. The Canadian proposal is to give Iraq until March 28 to disarm or face war. Mr. Graham declined to state what Canada's position would be if Iraq defies the UN order to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction. France and Germany have rejected the British proposal on the grounds it would automatically lead to military action after March 17. France says it will veto any resolution that leads to war.

Friday Feb 21, 2003 cbc
UN EXPRESSES LITTLE INTEREST IN CANADA'S SUGGESTION TO BREAK IRAQ DEADLOCK United Nations Security Council members are dismissing Canada's plan for breaking the UN deadlock over Iraq.

Friday Feb 14, 2003 cbc
UN MUST GET TOUGH WITH IRAQ: POWELL Iraq is only pretending to co-operate with arms inspectors and it's time to make the possible use of military force clear, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the UN Security Council Friday.

Friday Feb 14, 2003 cbc
FORCE NOT JUSTIFIED NOW, TRIO TELLS UN Some countries with veto powers on the United Nations Security Council responded to an arms update on Iraq Friday by calling for more inspections, not military force.

Friday Feb 14, 2003 cbc
IRAQ OPTS OUT OF LEADERSHIP ROTATION FOR UN DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE Iraq's UN Mission informed Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday that it is giving up its turn at the rotating presidency of the world's top disarmament forum.