UNITED NATIONS, March 24 (Xinhuanet) -- A UN report on peacekeepers' sexual abuse, released Thursday, recommends major changes to the UN peacekeeping operations, including holding perpetrators "financially and criminally" accountable for their misconduct, in order to eliminate such offenses.

    The report was prepared by Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Jordanian ambassador to the UN and a former civilian peacekeeper, after a visit last year to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),where UN peacekeepers faced many allegations of sexual abuse.

    "Resolving the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeeping personnel is a shared responsibility and can only succeed with firm commitment and action by both the Secretariat and member states. We are committed to implement the necessary reforms as quickly as possible," Annan said in a statement after he forwarded the report to the General Assembly.

    "I also call upon member states to act with determination and due haste and to provide the necessary resources to the Secretariat and the United Nations agencies, funds and programs toput in place the important changes required."

    UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Marie Guehenno said he concurred fully with the report's findings."What (Zeid) says provides the basis for a sound strategy to address the issues. Now we want to push it forward," he told reporters.

    The report says, "United Nations peacekeeping has a distinguished history of helping many States and peoples to emerge from conflict with the hope of a better future." It adds, however,that peacekeeping personnel have all too often "read normalcy intosituation that is far from normal."

    "And it is this inability on the part of many peacekeepers to discern the extent to which the society is traumatized and vulnerable that is at the root of many of the problems addressed in the present report."

    It points out many gaps in liability, especially since the present peacekeeping regime recognizes different categories of personnel, governed by different sets of rules.

    Because "troop-contributing countries are responsible for the conduct and discipline of their troops," it says, the General Assembly should apply the rules against sexual abuse to all categories, including civilian police, military observers, volunteers and troops.

    Troop contributors should prosecute their soldiers accused of sexual abuse and must report how they followed up with the investigated cases the UN refers to them, the report notes.

    The General Assembly must also authorize a professional investigative body with "experts who have had experience in sex crime investigations, particularly those involving children," it says.

    Abandoned mothers of "peacekeeper babies" are in a desperate financial situation, the report says. It suggests the UN withhold salaries for peacekeepers found guilty and put the money in a fundto care for their victims or the babies they father.

    Zeid, a special adviser of Annan on peacekeepers'sexual abuse, was authorized by the UN leader late last year to write the report.Enditem