UNITED NATIONS - Leaders from impoverished Africa to the oil- rich Middle East on Monday welcomed lofty promises of U.N. reform and efforts to reduce poverty and improve security but said only a stronger United Nations can fulfill them.

The U.N. General Assembly held its third day of ministerial meetings in the wake of a summit last week that drew a record 151 world leaders who adopted an ambitious blueprint for reforming the world body and fighting poverty, terrorism and human rights abuses.