The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, New Delhi

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown called Monday for the radical reform of world institutions to help meet the new challenges of the 21st century, and take more account of the rise of Asia.

On a two-day visit to New Delhi, Brown told business leaders the changes should be inspired by the post-war "visionaries" who set up the United Nations and other bodies such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. But he said the "new world order" should be more representative of what he called "the biggest shift in the balance of economic power in the world in two centuries" -- the Asian economic boom of countries like India. "Only with international institutions that promote cooperation out of shared interest and predictability and accountability can large numbers of states consistently work together for the benefit of all," he said.