EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION NEEDED ON SECURITY COUNCIL, SAY SPEAKERS IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Press Release
GA/8995
EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION NEEDED ON SECURITY COUNCIL, SAY SPEAKERS IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
19951114 Several States Endorse Permanent Council Seats for Japan, GermanySpeakers in the General Assembly this morning expressed general agreement on the need for more equitable geographical representation on the Security Council, but differed on what form that should take. The Assembly was continuing its discussion of the question of equitable representation on and increase in the Council's membership.
The representative of Pakistan joined others in calling for more equitable geographical representation on the Council, but added that, "the accommodation of regional representation should not fuel the tendencies towards hegemony and domination which are manifest in some regions". He opposed any increase in the Council's permanent membership, stating that such an increase would only serve the interests of a few countries and alienate the majority of others. He called instead for a proportional increase in the number of non-permanent members.
The representative of the United States enthusiastically endorsed the candidacies of Japan and Germany for permanent membership, adding that his country could not agree to any enlargement that did not result in their permanent membership. He also said that there should be no change in the status, powers and obligations of the current permanent members. The United States supported a modest number of additional seats beyond those for Japan and Germany. However, it believed that the total size of the Council should not exceed 20.
The representative of the Netherlands said Germany and Japan, the second and third largest contributors to the Organization, deserved permanent seats. He expressed concern that the influence of most troop-contributing countries on the decision-making process in the Council remained marginal. That amounted to a kind of taxation without representation and could be detrimental to the political commitment of actual and potential troop contributors.
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Also addressing the issue of financial contributions, the representative of Libya said the level of a country's contribution should not guide any decision on an increase in the number of permanent members. "We believe that the selection of new permanent members should not be done on the basis of who is bigger or stronger, but on the basis of regional perspective, according to the procedures to be agreed upon in every region." He also charged that the problem was that certain members of the Council did not want reform; they sought only to keep their power.
The representative of Guyana, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said there could be no compromise on the right of small countries to serve on the Security Council and to contribute to the cause of peace. "We attach the highest importance to democracy and equity not only in our internal affairs but also in our international relations", he said.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Sri Lanka, Djibouti, Lebanon, Tunisia, San Marino, Egypt, Zambia, Swaziland, Ukraine, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Slovenia and Kuwait.
The General Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its consideration of the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council.
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Assembly Work Programme
The General Assembly met this morning to continue considering the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council.
Statements
S.R. INSANALLY (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said appreciable progress had been accomplished by the open-ended working group and an outline of the future shape of the Security Council could be discerned. There appeared to be agreement on increased membership, recognition of the principles of the sovereignty of States, and the desirability of enhancing the transparency of the Council's operations. The deliberations must now be more focused, with the aim of identifying those proposals that could command a consensus.
Regarding the question of equitable representation and the veto, he said CARICOM agreed with the position enunciated by the Non-Aligned Movement in Cartagena, Colombia. "We attach the highest importance to democracy and equity not only in our internal affairs but also in our international relations", he said. "Our right to serve on the Council and to make our contribution to the cause of peace must be assured." On those matters there could be no compromise.
He said CARICOM was flexible on the number of members on the reconstituted Council. It would consider any formula offering a feasible balance that did not harm the Group's principles and accommodation was possible. The Community was prepared to consider a system in which economically well off States would assume a greater share of the financial burden for peace-keeping. Efforts must be made to restrain, modify and ultimately abolish the use of the veto on the Council.
H.L. DE SILVA (Sri Lanka) said that all had accepted the need to reform the Security Council. Broad support appeared to be growing towards a consensus to enlarge the Council to not more than 26 members. During the current session, negotiations should be held with a view to reaching an agreement that would ensure that each of the five regional groups would have representation proportionate to its numbers rather than a flat one-fifth of the seats on the Council. States other than the permanent five, including some non-aligned countries, could legitimately advance arguments for holding permanent membership. Proposals to create a new category of members who would be less privileged than permanent members but more privileged than the rest would only exacerbate matters.
The two years that had been spent discussing Security Council reform had not been in vain, he said. "We have covered much ground and hardly need to retrace our way." There was a need now to negotiate agreements on areas where
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broad understanding existed. Particular attention should be paid to the question of permanent membership. The negotiations should continue to be open-ended and transparent, allowing for the equal participation of all States.
ROBLE OLHAYE (Djibouti) said there was a universal consensus on the need for reform and enlargement of the Council and concrete conclusions and proposals were now needed. The rise in membership of the Organization and changes in the world's economy should be reflected in the membership of the Council. Proposals to expand different categories of membership had been formulated in several proposals. The use of the veto should be severely restricted. An expansion of permanent members risked expanding the system of second-class membership for non-permanent members.
KARL F. INDERFURTH (United States) said that while important differences remained, the United States was committed to finding the proper overall package of changes to expand the Security Council. It enthusiastically endorsed the candidacies of Japan and Germany for permanent membership. Their record of constructive global influence and their capacity to sustain heavy global responsibilities merited the very wide support their candidacies were now receiving. In fact, the United States could not agree to a Council enlargement that did not result in their permanent membership.
There should be no change in the status, powers and obligations of the current permanent members, he said. The United States supported a modest number of additional seats beyond those for Japan and Germany. However, it believed that the total size of the Council should not exceed 20. Also, the scope for the participation of developing countries in the Security Council must be enlarged and the views of regional groups should guide the allocation of additional seats for countries in those regions.
SAMIR MOUBARAK (Lebanon) said there was a clear need to expand the Council's membership, due to the growth of the number of Member States and changing political realities. However, the Council should not be rendered so large as to hamper its efficient functioning. Further, a mere enlargement of the Council by two seats without appropriate changes in its working methods would not bring about long-term solutions.
Democratization should be guided by the principle of the sovereign equality of States, he continued. The enhancement of the equitable geographic representation of the non-permanent members was indispensable to reform, despite the fact that it would not resolve the disparity between permanent and non-permanent members. The subject must be approached from a global perspective. "We are dealing here with a political problem whose outcome will decide whether the reforms will be accomplished or not."
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SLAHEDDINE ABDELLAH (Tunisia) said the enlargement of the number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council must accord with the criteria of the Charter. In other words, they must relate to contributions to the maintenance of peace and international security and to other ends of the Organization, as well as reflect an equitable geographical distribution. The recent adoption of measures to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the Council's work should be continued, and cooperation between the Council and the Assembly should be reinforced.
Concerning the veto, he said the moment had come to limit, if not eliminate it. If veto power were maintained, it would have to be granted to new permanent members. To limit the veto, its use could be limited to decisions covered under Chapter VII of the Charter, or perhaps a double veto could be required to block a decision.
PIER GIOVANNI GUARDIGLI (San Marino) said that the question of reforming the Security Council was of particular concern to small countries, which were especially sensitive to the need to ensure democratic principles not only within each State, but also within the international community. Democracy must be the foundation for reform efforts. The Council must be made more democratic and its methods of work must be rendered more transparent. The voice of small States must be heard in all forums, including the Security Council. A democratic formula for rotation in the Council should be employed, so that even the smallest States would have the opportunity to serve on it.
N.H. BIEGMAN (Netherlands) said that his country was willing to consider any formula that would reconcile efficiency and representation. Germany and Japan, the second and third largest contributors to the Organization, deserved permanent seats. Moreover, a modus operandi must be found to ensure proper representation on the Security Council to Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The mandates of the Security Council for peace-keeping operations must be realistic and feasible, he said. The influence of most troop-contributing countries on the decision-making process in the Council remained marginal. That amounted to a kind of taxation without representation and could be detrimental to the political commitment of actual and potential troop contributors.
MOHAMED A. AZWAI (Libya) said priority must be given to equitable geographical representation on the Security Council. The number of non- permanent members should be increased, but there was no need for new permanent members, who would perpetuate the discrimination among Member States. However, if there was a real need for increasing the permanent members, it should not be determined under the pretext of easing a financial burden. "We believe that the selection of new permanent members should not be done on the
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basis of who is bigger or stronger, but on the basis of regional perspective, according to the procedures to be agreed upon in every region." Furthermore, change in the composition of the Council would not be sufficient unless accompanied by drastic changes in its methods of work.
The problem was that certain members of the Council did not want reform, he continued. They sought only to keep their power. The reform process must be carried out in a neutral manner, free of double standards. His own country, which opposed the veto, had been told that the veto power was enjoyed by countries that shouldered a larger share of the maintenance of peace and security. Yet, was not that fact in itself a form of colonization, which threatened international peace and security? Libya had also been told that shouldering a greater financial burden was one of the criteria for permanent membership. "And here we would like to ask how could such a criteria be applicable to a country whose arrears have exceeded $1 billion dollars?" The fact was that the victors of 1945 had granted themselves special privileges. The veto power should be repealed.
NABIL A. ELARABY (Egypt) said there was general agreement on an increase in the membership of the Security Council and the review of its methods. The principles of sovereign equality among States and equitable geographic representation must be respected in any expansion and reform of the Council. Egypt, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, had presented a paper expressing the Non-Aligned view, which was in agreement with the statement made by Colombia.
The underrepresentation of the Non-Aligned Movement in the Council must be addressed, he said. The relations of the General Assembly and Security Council must be reviewed. The increase in the membership in the Council should not lead to an increase in permanent seats for developed States at the expense of developing States. A major obstacle to increasing the number of permanent members was the fact that an increase would lead to more States using the veto. Therefore, it would be better to choose some States with regional authority and give them additional responsibility.
The entire question of the veto must be reconsidered, for there was no agreed framework about the questions on which the veto could be used, he added. The Charter had not clarified the difference between procedural and substantive matters. Therefore, as long as use of the veto was not well-defined, those broad powers ought not to be given to any new permanent members.
PETER L. KASANDA (Zambia) welcomed recent reforms in the Council's working methods, including the holding of regular consultations between the Council and troop contributors, as well as briefings by the Council President. However, more remained to be done. The reform process must be accelerated lest it lose momentum. Reforms should be made in the spirit of genuine representative democracy and good governance, which the United Nations
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embodied. Those who urged democratization at the national level should be at the forefront of efforts to democratize international institutions, including the Security Council. The lack of adequate representation of Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Latin America must also be redressed.
MOSES M. DLAMINI (Swaziland) said that there was no need to change the number of members of the Security Council, since the present membership was sufficient to effectively carry out the Council's functions. However, the criteria for permanent membership must be reviewed and the principle of equitable geographic representation should be strictly observed in both categories of Council membership. Also, the question of a permanent seat for Africa in the Council ought to be considered. The paucity of communication between the Council and the Assembly was of concern. The Assembly should devise ways and means to ensure that the Council reported to it fully and promptly.
ANATOLI M. ZLENKO (Ukraine) said that, despite nearly unanimous support for expansion and reform of the Security Council, two years of intense consultations had not produced a resolution of the issue. Important differences continued to exist. He supported expanding Council membership to at least 25 and the additional seats should be rendered to the regional groups. He would not support any variant that did not involve additional seats for the group of eastern European States, which presently had only one non-permanent seat. Further, he would like to see permanent seats for Germany and Japan.
He said the proposal of Italy looked attractive. He believed that the creation of eight non-permanent seats, for each of which three States would rotate, would make it possible for the countries representing the majority of the world's population to become engaged in the international community's highly responsible peace-keeping activities. As for the veto, it was obsolete and politically unjustified now that the ideological rivalry between East and West had ended. The issue of modifying and gradually eliminating the use of the veto should be studied.
ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic) said the question of the membership of the Security Council was difficult and complex, but not insoluble. All speakers were calling for reform of the Council in order to make it more transparent and more efficient. United around that goal, countries should exert their utmost effort to see to its earliest possible realization. There were grounds for expanding the Council's membership to better reflect new political realities and improve the representation of the developing countries. Both the number of permanent and non-permanent members should be increased, as that would strengthen the United Nations by better reflecting the current international political configuration.
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Most countries were of the view that the veto power was anachronistic, anti-democratic and contrary to the principle of the sovereign equality of States, he said. Efforts must be made to improve the transparency of the Council's work, including the practices of its sanctions committees. Steps had been taken in that direction, but much remained to be done, especially to improve the relationship between Council members and other Member States. All States should have the opportunity to present their views on a given subject to the Council prior to its informal consultations on the matter.
DANILO TURK (Slovenia) said reform of the Security Council was one of the most important reforms needed in the United Nations system, and one of the most sensitive. The right kind of expansion of its membership and reform could strengthen the effectiveness of the Council. His country supported increasing Council membership by between two and five permanent seats, with the total membership of the Council between 20 and 25. Retiring non-permanent members should not be eligible for immediate re-election. New categories of Council membership should not be introduced. Further, the use of the veto should be limited and regulated. Existing innovations on the methods of work had, to some extent, improved transparency, but more needed to be done.
SARDAR MANSOOR AHMED KHAN LEGHARI (Pakistan) said the failure of the Council to implement its resolutions on Bosnia and Herzegovina, its inadequate response to Rwanda and its inability to implement its resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir had all contributed to a sense of insecurity. "Instead of a new world order, supervised by the Security Council, we are faced with a number of disputes and conflicts raging across the globe and a Security Council which has not been able to implement its own resolutions, or has done so in a selective manner." Equitable geographical representation was needed, but it should be carried out within the context of the legitimate concerns of the States of the region. "The accommodation of regional representation should not fuel the tendencies towards hegemony and domination which are manifest in some regions."
He expressed opposition to any increase in the Council's permanent membership, stating that such an increase would only serve the interests of a few countries and alienate the majority of others. Instead, he called for an increase in the number of non-permanent members, which would proportionately reflect the overall increase in the Organization's membership. Democratization could be achieved by strengthening the Security Council's relationship with the General Assembly. There was also an urgent need to strengthen the relationship between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council, so that economic and social factors would be taken into account in decisions relating to peace and security.
MOHAMMAD A. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) said the Security Council must continue to act on behalf of the Member States. The Council had defended Kuwait against Iraq and the effectiveness of the Council in the maintenance of international peace and security must be further strengthened. His
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Government, along with other small States, was interested in deliberations on the expansion of the Council. Small States must not be left out in any agreement that was reached. The principles of the sovereign equality of States and equitable geographic representation must be respected.
Any increase in membership of the Council must strengthen it in maintaining peace and security, he said. Moreover, the Council should be made more representative. He supported all proposals aimed at transparency. So far as the right of veto was concerned, a consensus that appealed to all States must be reached.
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