September 17, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 16, 1429

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 16: The 192-member UN General Assembly has agreed to begin negotiations on expansion of the 15-member UN Security Council, the most powerful organ of the world body, by Feb 29.

The often contentious and divisive issue of how to enlarge the council to make it more representative and transparent to reflect today’s global realities has for years hamstrung the UN membership to inaction on the issue.

But after long and protracted negotiations through the weekend, the assembly adopted by consensus a resolution on Security Council enlargement on the last day of its 62nd session.

The assembly decided “to commence inter-governmental negotiations in informal plenary of the assembly during its 63rd session, but not later than 28 February 2009, based on proposals by member states, in good faith, with mutual respect and in an open, inclusive and transparent manner, on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters related to the council, seeking a solution that can garner the widest possible political acceptance by the membership”.

Diplomats from the so-called “Uniting for Consensus” (UFC) group, led by Italy and Pakistan, which strongly opposes the induction of new permanent members and seeks expansion of the council only in the non-permanent category, did not appear to be fully satisfied over the outcome.

But they maintained that the resolution had validated the position they had taken in 2005 when the process began that the council’s expansion should come through a negotiated solution, not by voting which would only divide the membership. Another UFC point upheld by the assembly was that any decision should have the widest possible support of the membership. At the same time, they do have reservations over some aspects of the text.

It said the aim was to “garner the widest possible political acceptance by member states”.

The Council has remained largely unchanged since the establishment of the United Nations in 1945.

In 2005, a so-called Group of Four comprising Germany, Brazil, India and Japan -- made an abortive attempt to join the council as permanent members, along with two African countries, but without veto rights for a period of 15 years.