Germany Confident About UN Council Seat
June 11, 2005
Speaking with reporters after a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger and Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen said they still envision putting their proposal to enlarge the Security Council from 15 to 25 seats to a vote by the end of June.
The proposal calls for the creation of six new permanent seats and four non-permanent seats on the Council.
Holders of the six new permanent seats would be identified later, in a second resolution, but it is already known that they would go to members of the G4 and two African countries to be chosen by the African Union in a summit in early July.
If the two resolutions pass, a third resolution would be required to amend the charter of the United Nations.
"We are seeking consultations, dialogue and discussions with all member states here... and at the end of that we'll have a vote on the resolution," Pleuger said. "June has always been our target, we have not given up. We are confident that we have the two-third majority that we
need but we're also striving to have the largest possible support."
Enlargement before September?
The General Assembly of the United Nations comprises 191 members, so a two-third majority is 128 votes. The General Assembly does not hold veto power, a privilege reserved for the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, the United States, France, Britain and Russia.
"The schedule remains the end of June, there's no change of that," Sen said.
The two diplomats affirmed that Annan believes the enlargement of the Security Council should take place before the world summit in September, where participants are scheduled to adapt an ambitious reform program on the 60th anniversary of the creation of the world body.
But since the draft resolutions began circulating, several countries including the United States have moved to put the brakes on it.
"This particular issue is one we don't want to have a deadline on," a US diplomat who did not want to be identified told AFP.
US wary
The United States has publicly expressed support for Japan's candidacy but remains reserved about that of Germany. It has not yet taken a position on the G4, merely repeating that they want reform to produce greater efficiency.
China, for its part, is hostile to Japan and firmly opposed to the G4 proposal, which it calls "dangerous," likely to divide the UN and derail reform.
Friday, Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram echoed that stance. Asked by journalists what will happen if the G4 pushes for a vote at the end of the month, he said: "They'll lose.
"I think everybody is advising against a trainwreck happening, and that will happen if this draft is tabled and put to a vote," he said. "There will be a strong division here at the UN, no matter who wins or loses. So if you want to have that happen, divide the whole organization, derail the whole process, create tension, that's the way to go."