[US] Poverty goals to stay in UN draft

From the BBC

A row over United Nations reform plans has been resolved after the US gave up efforts to soften the draft document's commitment to reducing poverty.
The row erupted when the US demanded changes to the plan, including removing all mention of the UN's Millennium Development Goals for poorer nations.

But after strong criticism of the move, US Ambassador John Bolton put forward new wording that restored the phrase.

The plan will go before next week's 60th anniversary UN world summit.

Ambassadors from 32 countries have been given the task of reaching a consensus on a range of contentious issues before world leaders gather in New York from 14 to 16 September.

Promoting development

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had hoped to use the summit to push through a series of reforms aimed at redefining the organisation for the 21st Century.

These include management changes, as well as fresh action to meet its millennium goals to reduce poverty and promote development, with targets to be achieved by 2015.

After six months of discussions, a 38-page draft document was presented to the General Assembly last month.

Then Mr Bolton, newly appointed as US ambassador to the UN, produced a series of objections to the document, including the phrase "Millennium Development Goals".

However, the proposed change drew strong opposition from most UN members.

As a result, Mr Bolton submitted a compromise referring to the need to realise goals and objectives that had emerged from major UN summits "including those agreed at the Millennium Summit that have been known as the Millennium Development Goals".

The compromise wording was accepted by the negotiating group, which still has to deal with another 250 changes in the document before next Wednesday.