- UN a mere ‘concerned bystander’ as big powers wage war on weaker states: Inamul Haq
- UN must be in driving seat to resolve Syrian conflict: Masood Khan
China on Saturday urged the world community to do away with the ‘Cold War mentality’ by shunning ‘double standards’ in the ongoing war against terrorism.
The call for the world community came from Chinese ambassador Sun Weidong in his address at the inaugural session of National Conference organised on the eve of 70th anniversary of the United Nations at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). ISSI Chairman Khalid Mehmood, ISSI Director-General Masood Khan, UNHCR Resident Coordinator Indrika Ratwatte and delegates from China and Pakistan also spoke at the event.
Chinese envoy Weidong exhorted major world powers to follow the principles of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation in handling their relations, saying, “We appeal to abandon the ‘Cold War mentality’ and foster a new vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.”
He observed that in the age of economic globalisation, no country could maintain absolute security through its own efforts, nor could it achieve stability out of other countries’ instability. He again exhorted the major countries to join hands at the UN and take more concerted efforts to cope with the menace of terrorism which, according to him, was enemy of all the humanity.
Weidong also impressed upon them to treat all UN member states equally, saying, “China believes that countries should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other.” He further said that China believed in resolving disputes and differences through dialogue and consultation, while avoiding the use of force or the threat of the use of force.
Appreciating Pakistan’s peace-keeping role, Weidong said Pakistan’s peace-keeping troops reflected its commitment for global peace at the UN level. He said Pakistan and China enjoyed close collaboration at all forums of the UN.
Referring to President Xi Jinping’s first address at the UN General Assembly last September, he said that China as a rising peace-loving nation had led the UN and international community by its own example by advocating and practicing peaceful development and upholding common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security.
In his address, former foreign minister Inamual Haq came down hard on the UN, saying while the aggression and occupation went unpunished in Kashmir, Iraq, Syria and Libya, the role of the UN was more of a ‘concerned bystander’.
He said that those countries who shared the economic burden of the UN had larger clout in the decision-making process in the world body while the developing countries that could not contribute financially were simply ignored. Haq, a veteran diplomat having served at the UN, said that the economically stronger states were having their own way in the so-called war on terror.
He said the UN was in the process of finalising new reforms without consultation with all member states. He also opposed the proposal to add four new permanent members to the UNSC, saying that the inclusion of India, Brazil and others would make the UNSC more hegemonic and arrogant.
Haq also spoke on the traditional and non-traditional threats faced by the international community in maintaining peace and security, and remarked, “We should face these threats through dialogue and consultation.”
Speaking on the occasion, retired ambassador Masood Khan said that the world looked up to a UN which came to the rescue of the weak and depressed. He said the UN must be in the driving seat to resolve the Syrian conflict rather than taking a backseat with member states joining the war. “More delay and inaction by the UN means more deaths, more misery, and more spilling of blood of the innocent people of Syria,” Khan warned.
UNHCR RC Indrika Ratwatte said that over 3,000 UN family members were working in Pakistan to help resolve the refugee crisis. He said Pakistan was serving a lot to support the UN efforts despite the fact that the country itself was facing a humanitarian challenge in the shape of temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) who have been left shelter-less due to the various challenges. He however appreciated Pakistan’s humanitarian efforts, saying, “Despite its own displaced people, Pakistan has been hosting around 1.6 million Afghan refugees for almost four decades – an unprecedented measure by all means in the human history.”
Later, the scholars from Pakistan and China shared their views over the various challenges faced by the world community in general and the UN in particular. They also proposed measures to make the UN an effective body to ensure world peace and development.
