Annan meets with Bush on U.N. reform

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WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan visited the White House Monday to discuss U.N. reform with U.S. President George Bush.

Annan said the U.N. Human Rights Council needs to be reformed "as soon as possible." Changing that panel is a priority with the United States in regards to overall U.N. administration reform.

The secretary-general said changes will be in place when the council meets this month in Switzerland.

"It will not be business as usual," Annan said.

The pair also said they talked about the situation in Dafur, Sudan; Hamas' election in the Palestinian territories; and the nuclear policy standoff with Iran.

Annan said he hoped that before the International Atomic Energy Agency issues its next report "there will be indications and steps from the Iranian side to indicate that negotiations are not dead."

Tehran says its nuclear program is only for power generation but some Western countries fear it is for weapons development.