ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s acting Ambassador Amjad Hussain Sial said his country was committed to a reform that would make the UN Security Council more representative, transparent and effective.
He was speaking in the United Nations General Assembly’s annual debate on achieving equitable representation in the 15-member council. According to a Foreign Office statement, the two-day debate took place in the wake of the United States support for India’s bid for a permanent seat of the UN Security Council.
Security Council’s five permanent members China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States, hold veto power and 10 non-permanent members, with no veto, are elected for two-year terms. Several countries have argued that this structure does not represent the accurate proportion of the world’s population.
Key issues of the annual debate are the category of membership, the right to veto, regional representation, the size of an enlarged Council, and the Council’s working methods and its relationship with the General Assembly. Ambassador Sial told General Assembly that an effective, feasible reform could only be achieved by a consensus and Pakistan wanted a reform that should be comprehensive; based on principle of sovereign equality; should enhance the Council’s accountability to the general membership, and would result in a more united, strengthened UN.
The envoy said the ‘Uniting for Consensus’ Group, which is led by Italy and Pakistan, had shown flexibility by moving from its 2005 stance. “Its proposal allowed for variable arrangements and different options, providing relevance to representation for regions, as well as for small States”, he said.
He said the proposal also took into account the concept of equitable geographic distribution because the concept would make little sense if a seat would be allocated to a region that was occupied permanently by another country, which was why he respected Africa’s position.
“Africa’s just demand for permanent presence in the council is for the entire region and is different from those who seek a seat for themselves,” Ambassador Sial said. “Similarly, we support the position of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), demanding adequate representation of Muslims in the Security Council,” he said.
