21 April 2005	Thursday	11 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1426

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ISLAMABAD, April 20: Tariq Usman Hyder, the additional foreign secretary, has stressed the need for developing a global consensus on the issue of the expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Mr Hyder was speaking at the Asian-African Ministerial Summit meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday, says a Foreign Office statement.

The meeting held an interactive discussion on the outcome documents, the declaration on the New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP), the Joint Ministerial Plan of Action, and a declaration on cooperation on tsunami and disaster relief cooperation.

Mr Hyder said the UNSC should be expanded keeping in view the sovereign equality of all states and the need to work for mutual benefit.

The proposals for the UNSC expansion, he said, were either to increase the permanent membership or to increase membership in the non-permanent category, but the countries should be allowed to stand for re-election of longer terms as many times as they liked.

He was of the view that neither model gave the veto power.

The additional secretary also outlined Pakistan’s long-standing technical assistance and capacity-building programmes for Africa and Asia. He invited the countries to take more advantage of these programmes.

He reiterated Pakistan’s proposal at the preparatory meeting in Durban, last year, that in this digital age, the most cost-effective way for the member states to work together on the project between meetings was to set up virtual work groups of experts and to set up a data-base giving the e-mail addresses of all national officials concerned and other resourceful persons.

He said Pakistan was ready to host such an internet database.

He also pointed out that the advanced system of tsunami warning in the Pacific was based on speedy digital communication links which should be replicated in the tsunami-affected regions.