United Nations: Rejecting unilateral approach to deal with issues of world peace and security, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan warned on September 23 that if this principle were to be adopted, it could set precedents that result in a proliferation of unilateral and lawless use of force without credible justification.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Annan did not refer to the United States by name, but was obviously referring to Washington's military action in Iraq without the Security Council authorisation when he asserted that the logic of unilateralism represents a "fundamental challenge" to principles on which world peace and stability have rested for last 58 years.

The security needs to consider how it will deal with possibility that individual states may use force 'pre- emptively' against perceived threats, he told the 191-member Assembly as it began high level segment of its discussions.

"But it would not be enough to denounce unilateralism unless we also face up squarely to concerns that make some states feel uniquely vulnerable and thus drive them to take unilateral action. We must show that those concerns can, and will, be addressed effectively through collective action," he said.

PTI