PESHAWAR, May 4: The United Nations Security Council needs restructuring to deal with emerging situations as the world body faced limitations in dealing with superpowers , said former foreign secretary of Pakistan, Niaz A. Naik.

Speaking at a two-day international conference entitled "United Nations in the changing world order" here at University of Peshawar, he said that it was not true to say that UN had failed in peace keeping due to the present situation prevailing in Iraq, and Afghanistan as the UN was awarded with Nobel prize for peace keeping.

The conference was jointly organized by the Depart of International Relations of the Peshawar University and Hanns Seidel Foundation. Professors from Punjab University, Quaid-i-Azam University, UN representatives and students of IR department participated in the conference.

Giving a lecture on the genesis of the UN, Mr Naik said that UN charter rectified pitfalls, omissions and shortcomings of the League of Nations as unlike League of Nations, the UN had ability to ensure implementation of its decisions and if peaceful means didn't succeed the UN Security Council was empowered to take coercive measures to deal with acts of aggression.

"Though the UN Security Council had some limitations with regard to the United States and reforms, restructuring of the council was needed." We may find a change in the US policy after the US elections," Mr Naik said.

Onder Yucer, a UN representative, said that though the UN was criticized the world over for its failure to keep peace and for its limitations in regard to super powers, the UN was still the only organization which was universal.

Prof Sikander Mehdi from the Department of International Relations, Karachi University, read his paper on "Managing displacement in dangerous times, the UNHCR and refugees."

Mr Mehdi was of the view that when states waged war for petty interests they didn't consult the UN and the state itself creates refugee problem. The UNHCR, irrespective of lack of funds, had constituted a regional charter of refugees to deal with the refugee problem in South Asia.

"Pakistan had a role in continuation of the refugee problem here in the country as it interfered in Afghanistan and even created refugee problem in Bangladesh," he said.