MOSCOW UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will visit Russia next week to discuss ways to make the United Nations a more effective body, Interfax news agency said on Friday.

Interfax said Annan, whose two-day visit starts on Tuesday, will meet President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov.

It quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ordzhonikidze as saying Russia favoured a cautious approach to reforming the United Nations.

"The United Nations does not need to be mended," he said. "Nor is there any need to replace it with a qualitatively new structure."

Russia has expressed concern the world body's authority is being watered down by unilateral actions, primarily by the United States and organizations like NATO.

It has cited NATO's 11-week bombardment of Yugoslavia in 1999 as an example of such a trend.

Russia wants the United Nations, already involved in 15 peacekeeping operations around the globe, to play an even stronger role in maintaining regional and international security.

Ordzhonikidze said the greatest need for change was in the UN Security Council.

He said Russia was open to expanding the council, which has five permanent members -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- and 10 non-permanent members who rotate each year.

But he said Moscow wanted to preserve the privileges of the current permanent members, including the right of veto.

The foreign ministry has issued no formal statement on Annan's visit so far.