UN Panel Proposes New Criteria for Using Force

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A report by a high-level panel on reforming the United Nations proposes expanding the criteria for U.N. military action but maintains the need for Security Council approval, U.N. diplomats said.

The report, requested by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and to be released on Thursday, also presents two proposals for expanding council, the most powerful U.N. body, from 15 to 24 seats.

The document includes benchmarks for acting against a terrorist threat and for humanitarian intervention when atrocities are committed against defenseless civilians, provided the Security Council gives its consent.

The international panel of 16 men and women was set up by Annan more than a year ago after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which went ahead without the council's blessing, and responds to decades of pressure for reform.

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