UN recommends taking expansion negotiations to Gen Assembly

Dharam Shourie

United Nations, Sept 16 (PTI) The U.N. members States
have endorsed India's viewpoint that the General Assembly
should begin the inter-governmental negotiations on expansion
of the Security Council, with consensus emerging in favour of
starting parleys by February next year.

Pakistan and its allies had favoured the open-ended
working group (O.E.W.G.) continuing negotiations until
consensus is reached. But India had advocated that the issue
be sorted out at inter-governmental negotiations as O.E.W.G.
had failed to reach any agreement after more than a decade of
discussions.

After intense discussion, the O.E.W.G. agreed to
recommend that the U.N. General Assembly begin informal
negotiations on expanding membership of the Council no later
than Feb 28 next.

Meanwhile, the O.E.W.G. would continue to hold
discussions and prepare report for the Assembly which could
form the basis for future negotiations.

During the decade-long discussions in O.E.W.G., the
member States had been merely repeating their known positions
and no progress in substance has been made.

The Group of four comprising India, Japan, Germany and
Brazil, strong contenders for permanent membership of the
Council, proposed that the inter-governmental negotiations
should commence on the specific proposals made by member
States if any progress had to be made.

The G-4 want expansion in both permanent and non
permanent categories while the "United for Consensus" (U.F.C.)
led by Pakistan and Italy is advocating expansion only in the
non-permanent category, arguing they do not want to create
more centres of power.

The G-4, however, contends that expansion in permanent
category is essential if the current decision-making structure
of the Council, dominated by five permanent members, has to be
changed. The five permanent members are the U.S., Russia,
Britain, France and China.

The G-4 proposal envisages addition of six permanent and
four non-permanent members, taking the total strength to 25
but U.F.C. has proposed addition of 10 non-permanent members.

Under the G-4 proposal two permanent seats would be
allotted each to Asia and Africa, one each to Latin America
and Europe.

While all members agree that the Council should be
expanded to reflect the current realities, a majority wants
the expansion to take place in both categories and a minority
subscribes to the UFC viewpoint.

The expansion would necessitate amendment of the Charter
which requires that the resolution on expansion gets
two-thirds majority in the 192-member General Assembly and
two-third member States, including five permanent members,
ratify the decision following their own legislative proposals.

The consensus decision taken by O.E.W.G. last night was
that inter-governmental negotiations begin not later than Feb
28 in an informal plenary of the General Assembly based on
"proposals made, in good faith, with mutual respect and in an
open, inclusive and transparent manner."