by KIRSTEN DANIS
The United Nations building is such a firetrap that Mayor Bloomberg is threatening to ban schoolchildren from touring the 55- year-old East Side landmark.
The city has given the UN until March to install smoke detectors and other crucial safety measures - or kids will be kept away.
"As I'm sure you appreciate, it is the city's obligation to take all necessary steps to protect the safety of all who work in and visit the city," Bloomberg wrote in an Oct. 30 letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon obtained by the Daily News.
Only about 20% of 866 violations discovered by the Fire Department in January have been fixed, Bloomberg wrote. The UN argues it has resolved about 40%.
"We agree with you that more can be done," Alicia Barcena, undersecretary general for management, responded on Nov. 5.
Barcena said the UN is on target to meet the city's time line.
Because the city has no legal jurisdiction over the UN, the mayor appeared to be resorting to public pressure.
"While there has been some progress, there are still significant differences in the approach and time line for fixing these problems," Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said.
The city wants UN officials to come up with a fire plan - something that was missing when a blaze broke out in August at another high-profile building, the former Deutsche Bank building at Ground Zero, trapping and killing two firefighters.
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