UNITED NATIONS — Presenting his sweeping plan to bolster the U.N.'s influence and effectiveness, Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Monday that the reform package was the world body's best -- and perhaps last -- chance for renewal. But even as he offered his proposal, resistance was already surfacing.
The plan, crafted by teams of experts over more than a year, is designed to have elements that every region could support. For every move that seems to infringe on a nation's interests, there is an offering that is appealing. For example, for every strategy to stem corruption or improve governance in the developing world, there is a boost such as help in fighting AIDS or greater funding from wealthy nations.
Annan asked the 191 member countries to consider the package as a whole, not "a la carte," and urged their leaders to adopt it in September at the U.N.'s 60th anniversary summit.
"I'm not saying that it is going to be easy," Annan said, but "I believe that, as difficult as it is, the majority of the member states will come to conclude that what is on the table ... is in their long-term interest."
But for almost every innovation, there is also resistance to change. Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the package is the proposed expansion of the Security Council.
Another contentious idea is the restructuring of the Human Rights Commission so it will no longer protect countries such as Sudan, Libya and Cuba, widely regarded as having poor human rights records. Annan also wants to outlaw terrorism as a tool for national resistance, something Arab nations view as a strike at the Palestinian fight against Israeli occupation.
He urged states to agree on rules for when force can be used to save civilians from harm by their own governments, an idea that offends many nations' sense of sovereignty. And he wants a resolution stating clearly when force can be used preemptively to deter an imminent threat, a step Washington considers an unwelcome constraint.
"Frankly, we're skeptical that any kind of resolution on the use of force would be helpful," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said.
Underneath the general hum of cautious optimism at U.N. headquarters after Annan's speech, diplomats were calculating what was to be won and lost.
"Annan tried to give us something appetizing, and he also tried to chew for us," said Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali, the lone Arab representative on the Security Council. Though he said he largely supported the plan, he added that "there are some parts that won't be easy to swallow."
