by William M. Reilly


UNITED NATIONS Nike Air Force 1 High Homme Pas Cher , Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- If you were not paying attention to the calendar last week and you lived or worked near UN Headquarters, the arrival of portable police boxes and huge white-painted, but scarred, ton-weight, concrete blocks emblazoned "NYPD" in blue letters would inform you: General Assembly (GA) time.


The body's annual General Debate is at hand, and that means heightened security in the area surrounding the 7-hectare (70,000- square-meter) complex in Midtown Manhattan, which, in turn means inconvenience for neighbors, some businesses and even for some regular UN staffers, but not the VIPs.


The ratcheted-up security was planned, even parts of it being put in place, well in advance of this past weekend's security breaches at the official home of U.S. presidents, the White House in Washington, DC.


Some businesses near the United Nations suffer for lack of customers while some others immediately near the secondary security ring benefit from the additional security personnel in the area.


The security has been beefed up simply two days before the opening of the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday, at which more than 120 heads of state or government are expected to speak on climate change.


The annual UN high-level debate of the UN General Assembly, also known as the General Debate, is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday. Heads of state, government or foreign ministers form 193 UN member states will speak on pressing issues at the week- long debate.


Male and female, uniformed and plain clothes, U.S. federal, New York State, New York City and UN officers staff checkpoints barricades checking credentials of all comers. Even park rangers have been drafted in to assist.


Those huge concrete barriers are positioned as much as a block away so only one lane of traffic can approach the UN headquarters and that lane has to face a metal barrier that looks like an open jaw barring traffic. After inspection the metal plate forming the upper jaw is lowered so it can be driven over at slow speed by cleared vehicles.


Department of Sanitation trucks used to spread sand and salt in wintertime are used as secondary roadblocks, rolling back and forth to open and close gaps in the blocks.


Pedestrians approaching are funneled single file past officers checking credentials.


Sniffer dogs are posted at some checkpoints.


Along the river, U.S. Coast Guard and New York Police Department (NYPD) vessels patrol. In addition to a cutter or two, the Coast Guard posts small, fast response boats mounted with machine guns.


The airspace above the complex is not forgotten. Helicopters regularly fly alongside the 39-story Secretariat Building on their way to and from Heliport as do float planes heading to and from the New York Skyport, both on the East River, actually an inlet off New York Bay on the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, surveillance choppers can be observed circling over head.


As nearby water and air traffic is disrupted, likewise street traffic is strictly limited.


First Avenue, or UN Plaza immediately in front of the complex and forming its western boundary, parallels the river's eastern boundary, is closed to all but security-escorted VIP motorcades, some as small as two cars and other large entourages, such as for U.S. President Barack Obama, numbering into the double digits.


Electrified golf carts carrying security brass zip along the deserted avenue.


Apparatus of Fire Department New York (FDNY) and at least one ambulance are stationed nearby poised to respond to an emergency.