U.S. officials said the timing of Deputy U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson's delivery of criticism to the assembly Tuesday had nothing to do with arrival of John Bolton, the new Washington ambassador to the United Nations who presented his credentials to Secretary-General Kofi Annan Wednesday and began a round of bi-lateral meetings with U.N. Security Council members the same day.

In remarks released to reporters she told a closed-door assembly session of Washington's concern over a document being prepared for heads of state and governments to endorse at the mid-September summit on U.N. reform.

"The United States is committed to a package of sweeping reforms that will change the face of the United Nations - reforms that include new human rights and peace-building machinery, a Peace-building Commission that can make the United Nations more effective in helping countries emerging from conflict, and improved U.N. management practices that bring a level of transparency and accountability that has previously been lacking," she said.

Patterson also said, like so many other members of the world organization, the United States seeks "a strong declaration on terrorism that will contribute to the timely adoption of a comprehensive convention, and a development agenda that makes the United Nations an instrument to help countries make and implement the right choices about how to govern themselves and use aid effectively."

Washington did not believe the document "as currently drafted adequately addresses these priorities."

Why?

"The document is too long and not worded in a manner that heads of state normally agree to or endorse," she said. "The development section is over 15 pages long."

Besides being too wordy, it did not "adequately reflect" the necessary partnership between the developing world and the developed world, the envoy said.

It should show the developing world "must put into place the institutions that allow it to use aid effectively" and the developed world must work with them "to arrive at new and creative measures based upon democracy and free markets that will ensure the best use of development assistance."

Similar faults were found with security issues.

"It focuses far too much on disarmament rather than nonproliferation; it is also too long. Even the management reform section of the document, which contains many ideas welcomed by the United States, is not well organized.

Ping's office said Wednesday it "was aware there are differences and divergences, but he is confident difficulties will be overcome."

The U.S. Mission said Bolton, in an hour-long discussion with Ping Wednesday, endorsed Patterson's remarks

"We had a very good, intensive, exchange of views, including the issues," brought up by Patterson a day earlier, Ping told reporters.

The deputy U.S. ambassador's remarks did not consist just of criticism. She also delivered suggestions.

Patterson called in her prepared remarks for a more effective Human Rights Council, elected by a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly "with due consideration of any potential council member's commitment to human rights."

Such a body would replace the Human Rights Commission, many of whose past members had been rights-violators.

"Countries under U.N. sanctions should not be considered for membership," she gave as an example for new council criteria, coupled with a peer review mechanism among other suggestions.

She reiterated Washington's call for a Peace-building Commission that incorporates strong Security Council oversight.

As for U.N. management reform, Washington thought the section in the draft outcome document should be written "with more clarity and direction."

The United States also called for a clearer policy on immunity and establishment of an Oversight Advisory Committee and better budget levels for Office of the Inspector for Oversight Services, which should remain independent of the bodies it audits.

Patterson said it was especially important to follow through on the secretary-general's own call that old mandates be regularly reviewed before extension, "with an eye to ending some and funding more important things."

Washington wants "major rewriting" on development.

"As the largest contributor to international development in the world, the United States has a responsibility to ensure that the text fully reflects the Monterrey (Mexico) Consensus," on international development.

She said concluding a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism "would be a significant achievement in the U.N.'s global effort to counter terrorism."

The nonproliferation and disarmament section of the document did not reach near the level the United States wants.

"It does not address the seriousness of the weapons of mass destruction threats facing the international community," she said. "Serious substantive differences remain, in particular on the specific steps identified for action."

One specific concern was on putting the Comprehensive (nuclear) Test Ban Treaty entry into force.

"We believe that the document should limit itself to brief, focused language reflecting the reality that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the possibility that terrorists may acquire such weapons, remains the gravest threat to international peace and security, and that all member states must enhance their efforts to address this threat," Patterson said.

"There are numerous other issues that need serious work, including on the definition of terrorism, language about the International Criminal Court, sanctions, and other provisions that would endorse statements and principles that we, and others, have long resisted," the envoy said.

The outcome document, she said, "must be transformed to have the substance and tone of an instrument appropriate for adoption at the level of heads of state and government."

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