Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder called for reform of the United Nations on Thursday, saying a stronger international body was the only way to prevent future disputes between countries descending into war. Schroeder, who opposed the recent U.S.-led war in Iraq, was in Vietnam on the last leg of a four-country economic and political courtship of southeast Asia, where he has urged greater international say in rebuilding the oil-rich Gulf state. Rather than consign the U.N. to history for failing to prevent the war, sparked by Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, the world should learn from the crisis to ensure the success of diplomacy in the future, Schroeder said. "Of course the U.N. is not a perfect organization but I don't see any better institutions now and in the future," he told students at technical college in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi. Despite being the world's third-largest economy, Germany's international clout is somewhat hampered because it is not one of the powerful five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. "The issue is how to reform the U.N. so it can be more representative and improve its ability to deal with conflicts," he added. Schroeder, who arrived in southeast Asia on May 11, returns home on May 16, where he is due to meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell. He appeared in no mood to tone down demands that the U.S. hand over at least some of the control in Iraq's reconstruction to the international community. "The U.N. has to play a central role in the post-war period in Iraq," he said. **PHOTO CAPTION*** German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (L) gestures as he speaks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the prime minister's office in Hanoi, May 15, 2003. Photo by Kham/Reuters