World press downbeat on UN summit

As the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly gets under way, newspapers across the world focus on the reform of the UN and the challenges that lie ahead for the international community.

While there is much pessimism about what the summit will achieve - along with complaints that reform will be difficult so long as much power resides in the hands of a few nations - there are also calls for a greater focus on development issues, in particular the Millennium Development Goals set in 2000 to reduce poverty, disease and hunger.

Gu Yuqing in China's Renmin Ribao

First, the UN should reverse the long-existing trend of emphasising security and neglecting development, and increase investment in development. Next, the Security Council reforms should increase the representation of developing countries. Third, the reforms should focus on improving the UN's efficiency and safeguarding its authority and long-term interests.

A. Kardiyat Wiharyanto in Indonesia's Kedaulatan Rakyat

The restructuring of the UN Security Council is necessary, because the complexity of the problems that the world must face has intensified recently. As long as the national interests of five members of the UN Security Council remain the main consideration, any attempts to reform the world institution will be meaningless.

Malaysia's Utusan Malaysia

Developed countries fear that reforms proposed, if accepted, will harm their own positions, whereas developing countries worry that the UN will not function effectively if power is centred around a small number of member countries. UN reforms that are balanced and fair to everyone will not come about this week.

Pakistan's Nawa-i-waqt

President Pervez Musharraf's address to the General Assembly should be in accordance with the wishes and expectations of the Pakistani masses. He should not say anything on these issues that is against the wishes of the people of Kashmir and Palestine.

Iran's Mardom-Salari

Iran's president will deliver a speech to the General Assembly. We hope that he is able to defend Iran's sovereignty and national interests.

Malallah Faraj in Iraq's Al-Mada

The Millennium Development Goals will be overshadowed by other contentious, sensitive issues, most importantly the situation in Iraq, the Katrina disaster, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the Middle East peace process. The United Nations is facing serious, critical challenges. Will it steer the course of events or leave the ship confronting the threat of storms alone?

Saudi Al-Jazirah

The 2005 UN World Summit will offer a unique opportunity to discuss terrorism, poverty, famine and development, as well as peace in Iraq and the Palestinian territories. This is a chance that should not be wasted.

Kenya's Standard

This summit can be meaningful to countries such as ours only if the wealthier nations commit themselves to helping the poor countries alleviate poverty and tackle pandemics.

South Africa's Business Day

It is becoming increasingly clear that the United Nations reform process is likely to satisfy no-one. Indications are that the changes will fall far too short of the grand ideas UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan put to the world two years ago when the process began.

Vasiliy Kashin, Anna Nikolayeva and Yekaterina Kudashkina in Russia's Vedomosti

The summit of world leaders in New York, marking the 60th anniversary of the UN, may go down in history as the most representative and, at the same time, most unproductive international forum. It will gather a record number of world leaders but is unlikely to culminate in the adoption of important international documents.

France's Le Monde

French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder will be missing what should have been a decisive era in the UN's reform, demanded often and so often postponed. However, it is to be feared that they will not be missing very much, with this meeting highly likely to finish with a bunch of great speeches without any true decisions. The Americans don't want the UN to die. They want an organisation that does not bother them - and the status quo suits them.

Miloslav Surgos in Slovakia's Pravda

The United Nations is celebrating its 60th birthday and clearly showing signs of progressing senility. Instead of the flexible, energetic and determined organisation that was supposed to work towards world unification and deal with problems that are too big for individual countries, we are looking at a wreck shuffling around.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaus abroad.