UN meets under press spotlight

The United Nations General Assembly, which opens in New York on Tuesday, is a leading topic for papers across the world.

Many editorials examine US policy on Iraq, as expectations rise that President Bush will mount a robust defence of the invasion and occupation in a major speech to the Assembly.

---

Bush will not admit any mistakes. There are two reasons for this. Ideologically, the US is not accustomed to asking for help... And Bush must also wonder how much practical help he can really expect. Europe is neither able nor wants to send troops or funds. Other states, such as India, Brazil and South Korea, are also saying No. The Americans will remain responsible for Iraq, whether they want it or not.

Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung

---

Bush will appear before the UN without having changed his attitude: no excuses, no explanations. But those Americans, who treat Jacques Chirac as an enemy, are wrong. They do not have any worse enemy (apart from the terrorists, who are killing their soldiers every day in Iraq) than the obtuse arrogance of their President and of the people around him.

France's Liberation

---

Outside of Iraq, people are increasingly and more clearly realising that the UN has the most authority to sort out the aftermath in Iraq... Extremism is the foundation of terrorism. In turbulent times, extremism has fertile ground on which to grow. Who made the UN administration headquarters in Iraq a target for attack is a question. However, what caused Iraq's present situation is perhaps another more important question.

China's Xinwen Chenbao (Shanghai Morning Post)

---

Most Pakistanis want to see an immediate solution to the Iraq crisis. But the way the US is complicating this crisis shows that America is planning for long-term stay in Iraq. We believe that the US will have to leave Iraq, as other European countries had to. And only then will the Muslim world breathe a sigh of relief.

Pakistan's Ausaf

---

Now it has become easier for foreign companies to plunder Iraqi assets. With the issuing of this policy in the garb of reconstruction, US imperialistic designs have openly come to the fore. Soon such a policy will also be made for Afghanistan. The enemy is now attacking openly. A regular war has been started to weaken Muslims.

Pakistan's Express

---

Both regional and international observers strongly believe that Washington has resolved to legitimise its stay in Iraq and usurp its wealth. Because of this it is not hurrying to set up a legitimate and elected Iraqi government, and is refusing the participation of the international community in the reconstruction of Iraq.

Jordan's Al-Dustur

---

The heavy losses suffered by US troops in Iraq must convince the US administration hawks that they were mistaken when they promoted the war. However, it does not seem the Bush administration has learnt a lesson yet... If world leaders are seriously concerned with the interests of the international community, including the US, it is necessary that they convince the Bush administration to stop the false pretexts and return to the reality on the ground. The price will be very high and will be paid by all, including the hawks

Egypt's Al-Akhbar

---

It is difficult for Washington to acknowledge that the UN rather than the US could be the midwife of a liberated Iraq, on the Timor model, but this is the beginning of wisdom. The US has developed lately a suspicion amounting at times to paranoia about the UN, but it used to be good at getting the numbers in New York... The US stands head and shoulders above all other powers.

The UN is not a rival state. It is not even an organisation or institution. It is a global system, still evolving, with a half century of valuable experience. It is the driving force behind the development recently of international criminal and humanitarian law. No nation, even the most powerful, can run a rapidly globalising world. The UN, slow and cumbersome as it can be, nevertheless confers legitimacy on efforts to establish international law and order.

Australia's The Age

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.