Aspirants for permanent UNSC seat circulate resolution
By Masood Haider
UNITED NATIONS, May 17: Ignoring the calls for consensus on any UN Security Council expansion by many member states, including China and the United States, Japan, Germany, India and Brazil on Monday began a process meant to secure their permanent membership in the Security Council by circulating a resolution to expand the body from 15 to 25 seats. Diplomats here observed that the hasty decision by the so-called G-4 could irk the member states who are still not convinced that more permanent seats in the council would make the most powerful organ of the world body more “democratic and transparent”.
“At this point in time, they (G-4) will discover that getting a two-thirds majority in the 191 member UNGA is nearly impossible” said one diplomat here.
The G-4, who circulated the working paper along with a proposed resolution on the expansion of the Council, maintained their stand that new permanent members should have veto power. But they declared that they were willing to compromise on the veto powers.
The resolution does not name candidates for the council — that would happen at a later date. It says permanent members should include two from Africa, two from Asia, one from Latin America and one from Western Europe.
Another four new council seats would go to non-permanent members from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. On Sunday, the United States said that it would oppose any move to give veto powers to the new aspirants.
Both China and the United States have also called for a broadest possible consensus without any time-line. However, side-stepping efforts by President of UN General Assembly Jean Ping to bring about some compromise between the position taken by G-4 and the group called “Uniting for Consensus,” led by Pakistan and Italy, the G-4 announced a timetable under which they expect the 191-member General Assembly to adopt a framework resolution in June, elect new permanent members by mid-July and adopt the third resolution to amend the charter within the next two weeks.
Italy and Pakistan, leading a group of nations opposed to more permanent members on the Security Council, are campaigning for decisions by consensus, not by vote. They want expansion in the non-permanent category only to make the Council more democratic and transparent.
