UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Monday called on member states to ease the tensions between UN organs and focus their attention on reforms.

    "I think we should respect the various (UN) organs and their responsibilities," Annan told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

    He admitted that there is some mistrust amongst the membership on the whole issue of reform, and the reasons behind the reform.

    However, the secretary-general stressed that "reform is necessary," and the organization should be reformed and strengthened.

    "There is some suspicion that some organs are reaching out for a power grab," he observed, referring to the Security Council.

    "The General Assembly has generally felt that its power and itsinfluence is being diminished," Annan said, adding when some issues which should be discussed in the General Assembly being discussed in the council, "again it leads to tensions."

    "I am sure the two bodies should be able to find a mechanism for discussing an issue of great interest to all the member states," he noted.

    The dispute on who should handle accusations of procurement fraud and sexual exploitation involving UN peacekeeping operation missions has caused tensions among member states.

    U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council in February, scheduled two council meetings this week on procurement fraud and sexual abuse by peacekeepers.

    But members of the developing countries protested these were General Assembly matters rather than the council's. They appealed to the assembly president, Jan Eliasson of Sweden, for the need ofmember states "to stop any attempt to shift the issues under the agenda of the assembly to the Security Council."

    Meanwhile, Eliasson told reporters Monday that "if there is an encroachment of the functions and power of the General Assembly, we need to deal with that."

    He noted that he had discussed the matter with President of theSecurity Council and with the Non-Aligned Movement, stressing that"it is important that we respect each other's functions and powers." Enditem