UNITED NATIONS, May 4: Pakistan on Thursday cautioned the 192 delegates at the UN General Assembly against “pre-emptive moves or arbitrary proposals” in deliberations on Security Council reforms.
“Such moves will ... derail the process of compromise and ... again divide the ... UN with consequences we all witnessed in 2005,” Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram said during consultations of the open-ended working group on equitable representation and increase in the Security Council membership.
Cautiously welcoming the UN General Assembly’s president on the reform, Mr Akram noted: “Some statements have sought to question, distort or change the framework of the compromise approach proposed by the report. Some have called for negotiations but at the same time talked about a vote. What do they want – vote or negotiations? We cannot have both ways.
“Some say they are flexible but then reaffirm the demand for permanent seats. Some say they accept the report but then reinterpret the report in a manner that amounts to its rejection. Some have presented a strange logic and bizarre interpretation that the requirement of support well over the needed majority or the widest possible support amounts to a vote. This is not understandable,” he said.
The deliberations to expand the Security Council have become ominous as the previous contenders to the permanent seats (India, Japan, Germany and Brazil) in the Security Council have begun to lobby hard once again. Two years ago, negotiations ended in a deadlock.
He declared that “Pakistan is prepared, on the basis of the new report, to explore a compromise within the framework of the premise i.e. an interim compromise solution utilizing the options it has outlined.” But, he rejected the proposal for the appointment of new facilitators.
“We invite you to hold consultations in such an open and inclusive process, which could facilitate the evolution of convergence around an option that commands the widest possible support if not consensus.” Mr Akram said.
Mr Akram reflected that the UNGA President’s report has offered certain notions on the way forward and pointed out that many of these notions are consistent with the long held views in the General Assembly.
