UNITED NATIONS : The Debate Begins

Thirty-six heads of state, 19 prime ministers and two crown princes are on the speakers list for the general debate of the 49th annual meeting of the U.N. General Assembly, which begins Monday .

The first day of debate--more precisely a parade of speakers on a host of different subjects--will bring Presidents Clinton and Boris N. Yeltsin of Russia to the podium. Most countries send their foreign ministers or U.N. ambassadors to speak, and the torrent of words is so great that insightful ideas from small countries often fall by the wayside. But for each country, it’s an opportunity to address problems before the largest international forum.