United Nations

Liberia's President Charles Taylor and two rebel groups agreed to a cease-fire June 17, but the firing has hardly ceased. For residents of the capital, Monrovia, it has only gotten worse, with one of the rebel groups, Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, still on the attack. LURD says it is trying to force Taylor to leave office, as he has promised, for asylum in Nigeria. Taylor says he won't leave until U.S. and African peacekeeping troops arrive. President George Bush says he won't send troops until Taylor leaves.

Today in New York the nations of the world will gather in a "Millennium Summit" to ponder "The United Nations in the 21st Century." It is an opportunity, says U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, "to reshape the United Nations." But people have been trying to reshape the United Nations almost since it was founded in 1945. The scorecard is mixed, principally because of disagreements about what reform means. Is it a matter of operational efficiency, or are structural changes needed? Or does the purpose of the United Nations need to change as the world has changed?

HONG KONG -- When Bui Thi Minh and her husband stealthily left Vietnam in a rickety boat eight years ago in search of a brighter future, they knew their quest would be far from easy. But the couple never imagined that years after being swept onto Hong Kong's shores, they would still be in a refugee camp -- and facing the likelihood of a forced return to the country they risked their lives to flee.Barring an 11th-hour miracle, that return certainly will happen. And such a miracle seems unlikely.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration signaled for the first time yesterday that it might be willing to allow a multinational force in Iraq to operate under the sponsorship of the United Nations as long as it was led by an American commander. The idea was described by the deputy secretary of state, Richard L. Armitage, as just "one idea being explored" in discussions at the United Nations. Such a plan was first described publicly last week by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Still, Armitage's remarks signified an important shift in course for the administration, which has until now insisted that all military, economic and political matters in Iraq remain under American control.

WASHINGTON - Even some who have questioned the need for war described Secretary of State Colin L. Powell's performance at the United Nations yesterday as a persuasive case for military action against Iraq within a matter of weeks. Lawmakers from both parties, and defense analysts with varying opinions on Iraq, said they thought Powell put President Bush in a commanding position to seek a new U.N. resolution authorizing force. If the Security Council stalls, they said, Bush could be justified in leading an attack, even without overwhelming international support.

IRAQ WAS NOT the only target of last month's missile attacks. They also represented a lethal U.S. assault on international law and the legitimacy of the United Nations.Despite Clinton administration claims to the contrary, the air strikes were in complete violation of U.N. decisions. There is no United Nations resolution that calls for, allows or accepts unilateral military acts to punish Iraq for real or alleged violations.U.S. officials usually refer to two possible Security Council resolutions to justify military strikes.

WASHINGTON -- Iraq expelled U.S. weapons inspectors yesterday, causing the United Nations to halt its search for Saddam Hussein's dangerous weapons and America's envoy to the United Nations to warn of "grave consequences" if Iraq's defiance continues.As tensions mounted, President Clinton considered ways to deal with Hussein's defiance and made the case for acting forcefully against the Iraqi president."Iraq's announcement this morning to expel the Americans from the inspection team is clearly unacceptable and a challenge to the international community," Clinton said.

WASHINGTON - With rising international support for confronting Iraq, President Bush ratcheted up pressure on Congress yesterday, mocking Democrats who want to delay a vote on authorizing force until the United Nations acts. "Democrats waiting for the U.N. to act?" a chuckling Bush said. "Seems like, to me, that if you're representing the United States, you ought to be making decisions based on what's best for the United States. "If I were running for office," he added, "I'm not sure how I would explain to the American people.

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations building would be little more than a glass Tower of Babel without them.But the United Nations' core of interpreters, who sit tucked away in badly ventilated glass booths overlooking the General Assembly hall, are to most delegates little more than disembodied voices that come piped in through white plastic earphones."

Mildred Kern, an original resident of the North Oaks Retirement Community who had worked overseas for the United Nations, died of heart disease Sunday at her home. She was six days short of turning 105. "She was our oldest resident, and she was our very first resident," said Mark E. Pressman, the retirement community's executive director. "She and her sister actually moved in before the building was finished. She showed the first apartments at times and was actively interested in our growth.