NORWAY PROPOSES FIVE NEW PERMANENT SEATS ON SECURITY COUNCIL AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES DEBATE ON REFORM EFFORTS

30 October 1996

Press Release
GA/9146

NORWAY PROPOSES FIVE NEW PERMANENT SEATS ON SECURITY COUNCIL AS GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES DEBATE ON REFORM EFFORTS

19961030 Delegates Differ on Ideas Outlined in Study Group Report; Some Applaud Improvements Already Made in Council's Working Methods

The lack of agreement among Member States on how best to enlarge the membership of the Security Council was evident this morning during the General Assembly's continuing review of the progress of its working group on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters.

The representative of Norway, speaking for the Nordic countries, said five new permanent seats should be created. In order to reflect political and economic realities, a country from Africa, one from Asia and another from Latin America and the Caribbean would be among new permanent members.

The representative of Ireland said the number of both permanent and non- permanent seats should be increased to enhance the effectiveness of the Council and provide a more equitable geographic representation. In addition to Germany and Japan, Ireland and other countries would be appropriate candidates for new permanent seats based on their economic and political status. Ireland also supported new permanent seats for Africa and Asia, as well as Latin American and Caribbean countries.

While the Republic of Korea supported Council expansion, the representative of that country said care should be taken not to bestow new privileges or irreversible status on a few Member States. His Government supported the expansion of non-permanent Council membership and did not believe that balanced or complete reform required an increase in the number of permanent seats.

While several Member States had expressed their aspirations to become permanent Council members, the representative of Canada said the addition of new permanent seats faced hurdles that could not now be overcome. With that deadlock blocking Council reform, it might be easier to obtain agreement on the expansion of the non-permanent membership.

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The representative of Egypt said efforts to expand the Council should not result in new Council seats for developed countries to the detriment of developing States. Instead, reforms must correct the current imbalances and the lack of representation of the Non-Aligned countries on the Council. He called for the establishment of new rotating seats for regional representatives.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Lao People's Democratic Republic, India, Philippines, Uruguay, Slovenia, Turkey, France, Zimbabwe, China, Ghana, Russian Federation, Israel and Kuwait.

The Assembly will meet again at 3 p.m. this afternoon to continue to discuss aspects of Security Council reform.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to continue its review of progress of its open-ended working group on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and other matters.

The Assembly had before it the working group's report detailing its activities during the fiftieth session (document A/50/47 and Add.1). The group was established by the Assembly in December 1993 to consider all aspects of Council reform. According to the report, during meetings and informal consultations beginning November 1995 and ending last month, the working group continued to discuss aspects of Council reform which have been a focus of its deliberations since it began work in January 1994, namely: proposals for the increase in permanent membership of the Council; proposals on increase in non- permanent membership; proposals relating to rotation or shared Security Council seats; improvement in the Council's working methods and its transparency; and the decision-making process in the Council, including the veto power. (For details, see Press Release GA/9144 of 29 October.)

Statements

ALOUNKEO KITTIKHOUN (Lao People's Democratic Republic) told the Assembly that the Security Council should reflect new world realities, and especially it should improve the representation of developing countries. The number of seats, both permanent and non-permanent, should increase. An increase in the permanent seats would strengthen the United Nations as a whole because it would strengthen its legitimacy. A larger number of countries within the Council would also reinforce its credibility. His country supported the inclusion of countries such as Germany, Japan and India, and hoped an acceptable formula would soon be found.

Measures taken to improve, and make more transparent, the Council's working methods were appreciated, though much more could still be done. Delegations should keep on working, patiently and with perseverance, and above all with more energy, on the issue at hand.

JAKKEN BIORN LIAN (Norway), speaking for the Nordic countries, said that for those countries reform of the Security Council was an urgent priority. Their position, submitted in a paper last June, was in support of reform as a way of strengthening the Council. There should be an increase in its permanent as well as non-permanent membership. The permanent membership should be increased by five new seats, to reflect present political and economic realities, including improved representation from Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, and total membership should increase to 23. Decision-making procedures in the Council, such as the scope of the veto and

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its possible extension to new members, also needed thorough consideration. The working group, he concluded, should now move away from general discussion and engage in real negotiations.

PRAKASH SHAH (India) said that, given time, the issues before the working group could be resolved with consensus. India had been one of the 10 countries that had initiated the process of inscribing the item on the Assembly's agenda. Suggestions for the reform of the Security Council should address the imbalance in the representative nature of the Council and not accentuate the existing inequities. India supported the expansion of permanent and non-permanent seats and was against "piecemeal or temporary solutions which discriminate against developing countries". Under any objectively applied criteria for the expansion of permanent members, India would be "the obvious candidate".

The working group, he continued, should come up with an acceptable set of criteria for the selection of new permanent members; selection should follow rather than precede the establishment of that criteria. The Non- Aligned countries had emphasized that any attempt to exclude them from any expansion in the membership of the Council would be unacceptable. That proposal had found wide acceptance in the working group. The reform of the Council was cardinal to reform of the Organization. India would support the group's efforts when it resumed its work next year.

FELIPE MABILANGAN (Philippines) said that increased membership of the Security Council should be considered in the context of overall Council reform, including greater transparency and a more balanced relationship with the General Assembly. The Group should explore various options for expanding the Council's membership including: the "2 + 3 formula" or other combinations of increases in permanent and non-permanent seats, including the regional rotation of permanent seats; the shared seat formula; expansion only of non- permanent seats; and, should no agreement be reached on permanent members, the expansion for the time being only in the number of non-permanent members.

He said the group should recommend concrete and specific measures to the Assembly at an early date. The Council's working methods should be more transparent, and its decision-making process more democratic. The group should consider working on the basis of a discussion paper or draft discussion text which might facilitate the consideration of issues in a manner other than general statements and reactions.

JORGE PEREZ OTERMIN (Uruguay) said the issue of Security Council reform was the most important of all, since it involved the structure of the most powerful organ of the United Nations. It was Uruguay's understanding that reform of the Council meant updating its structure, thereby making it more representative. The changes in the world since the creation of the Council and since its only expansion, in 1965, were of enormous importance. Its

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composition should take account of new political realities. Uruguay believed that the Council should be made more democratic, and also that the General Assembly should be strengthened.

He said the veto mechanism, present in many of the world's constitutions, allowed for a balance between executive and legislative powers; the mechanism permitted a series of variations, and thus its application could be the subject of broad negotiations. It could be used in the relationship between the Council and the General Assembly. In any case, any reform of the Security Council must be simple and uncomplicated, so as not to cause any substantial change in the Charter.

DANILO TURK (Slovenia) said reform of the Council was long overdue. The Council needed a more representative character; the right kind of expansion would strengthen its effectiveness and contribute to the authority of the United Nations in general. Slovenia favoured an increase in both the permanent and non-permanent membership. Up to five more permanent seats would be appropriate.

He said his country saw Germany and Japan as being among the candidates for new permanent seats. A total of 25 seats on the Council would ensure that it was sufficiently representative and would enhance possibilities for effective action by the Council on behalf of all Member States.

Slovenia also believed that more transparency in the Council's working methods, and closer cooperation with the General Assembly, were needed. It also hoped that the working group would continue to explore the potential of involving States which were not members of the Council in the Council's work.

JOHN CAMPBELL (Ireland) said the number of both permanent and non- permanent seats should be increased to enhance the effectiveness of the Council and provide a more equitable geographic representation. In addition to Germany and Japan, Ireland and other countries would be appropriate candidates for new permanent seats based on their economic and political status. Ireland also supported new permanent seats for Africa and Asia, as well as Latin American and Caribbean countries. In addition, the curtailment of the veto should be an intrinsic element of any overall solution.

In the future, the working group could continue to exchange scripted views of Council reform, he said. Or, it could accept that unless a new sense of urgency was injected into its work the process was in danger of running out of steam. If it was agreed that a new momentum was required, the Assembly would have to seriously address the ways in which the work should develop during the next year. That would require the narrowing of differences which remained. To infuse the process with new vitality, he suggested that as well as formal meetings of the working group, there should be "brain-storming" sessions on the more complex issues.

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PARK SOO GIL (Republic of Korea) said his country supported the expansion of the Security Council in light of the dramatically changed character of international relations and the substantial increase in United Nations membership. However, care should be taken so that decisions taken would not bestow privileges or irreversible status on a few Member States. With the idea of permanency and the veto now outdated, his Government did not accept that balanced or complete reform required an increased permanent membership. It supported the expansion of the non-permanent membership.

The working group should focus on determining modalities for non- permanent seat expansion, he said, instead of focusing on the divisive issue of the expansion of permanent membership. New non-permanent seats should not be limited to two-year terms; longer terms should be considered, possibly, for example, eight new non-permanent seats with four-year terms. He noted an earlier proposal by Brazil that would allow permanent members to vote "no" without vetoing a measure.

He said the Assembly seemed to be left with two options: either the non-permanent membership alone could be increased; or the permanent membership could be expanded to include developing countries, along with the addition of non-permanent members. It was also now accepted in some quarters that the word "permanent" should not imply "eternal". Permanent members could be subject to periodic review.

HUSEYIN E. CELEM (Turkey) said the new international political environment required the democratization of the Security Council. The central issue was the enhancement of the representative character of the Council, but such enhancement could not be confined merely to an increase in the overall number of seats. The enlargement should be coupled with a fair system of workable rotation. The proposal of Italy to create 10 new non-permanent seats which would rotate among a pool of 30 countries selected by the Assembly merited careful consideration. Following the three years of deliberation of the working group, it seemed clear that an increase in non-permanent membership would be the most natural plan.

The working group should now concentrate its efforts on the points which had received the widest support, he said. The ideas of Spain on criteria for non-permanent rotational seats deserved consideration. Spain had proposed that such criteria include contribution to peace-keeping operations; financial contributions to the United Nations; and a Member State's population. Such criteria would address the needs, the expectations and the changing conditions of the international community.

ALAIN DEJAMMET (France) said the important endeavour of expanding the Council must be completed despite the difficulty of the negotiations. Failure to do so would weaken multilateralism. The Organization's membership had increased, particulary in the numbers of developing countries, and this fact

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must be addressed. However, the Council's membership increase should not hinder its efficiency. A little over 20 members would be the maximum number possible for the Council to retain its productivity. All groups whose numbers had increased were justified in asking to be considered; no geographical group should be excluded from Council membership. Some States clearly exercised an international influence which should be exerted in a more official manner in the United Nations. On the Council's work, he said it was becoming more rational and transparent, and that this should be continued. During the Assembly's general debate, many speakers had expressed the desire to avoid delays in completing the reform process. The composition of the Council's membership was essential to the reform process, and agreement on this matter was therefore indispensable. M. T. MAPURANGA (Zimbabwe) associated himself with the statement made by the representative of Colombia on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement, and said the imbalance within the Council must be redressed. Developing countries must be adequately represented in the permanent category. Africa, Latin America and Asia should each have at least two permanent seats and additional non- permanent members. As presently constituted, the Council empowered a few members of the international community on the basis of a victory during a war fought a half century ago, he said. A handful of permanent members were empowered to affect the destiny of the majority of Member States. In the post-cold war era, the Security Council should not continue to serve the interests of a few powerful countries. According to the Non-Aligned Movement position paper, the veto was a relic of the cold war. It should be confined to only those matters which fell under Chapter 7 of the Charter and eventually be abolished. The permanent members were reluctant to discuss this subject. Their intransigence could be an obstacle to the reform process; he said he appealed to them to review their position. The Council had stated that it was reforming itself. He asked whether the pace and content of change should be left to the five permanent members alone, to the exclusion of the rest of the 185 Member States of the Organization. ROBERT R. FOWLER (Canada) said his country welcomed the further efforts made this year aimed at improving the transparency, legitimacy and effectiveness of the Security Council's activities. It attached particular importance to the need to ensure meaningful participation in decision-making by those Member States whose nationals, military or civilian, were in the crossfire of the conflicts over which the Council was deliberating. As a troop-contributing country, Canada was particularly pleased with the enhancement of the Council's mechanisms for consultations with troop- contributing countries.

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He said progress in other areas had included the more frequent use of formal orientation debates, regular briefing for United Nations members on Council activities by the Council President, and changes making the activities of the Council's sanctions committees more transparent. More could be accomplished, such as in the area of the participation of non-members in the work of the Council, especially when a member was involved, either as a directly affected party or as a major troop-contributing country in a matter before the Council.

Canada also believed the current veto ought to be restricted to Security Council decisions under Chapter VII of the Charter. The exhaustive discussions carried out so far on the size and composition of the Council seemed to have made the issue even more difficult. There was no indication that the divergences could be bridged; the "quick fix" -- adding two permanent members -- had not attracted enough support to be realistic. The aspirations of several countries to permanent membership status were understandable, but it was difficult not to conclude that the addition of new permanent members faced hurdles that, at this time, could not be overcome. The deadlock on that subject was blocking the needed reform of the Council. Agreement might be easier to obtain on the expansion of the non-permanent membership. That step, expanding the Council by perhaps six to 10 members, would not preclude future discussion on permanent membership.

WANG XUEXIAN (China) said his country favoured an appropriate expansion of the Council. Since 1963, membership of the United Nations had increased by one third. There had long been a serious imbalance in the Council's composition. Developing countries made up two thirds of the United Nations membership. Council reform should focus on redressing imbalanced regional representation and should in no way aggravate such imbalance.

"The Council is not a club of the rich, still less a board of directors", he said. It should have a correct understanding of war and peace both from historical and current perspectives.

Also important was the improvement of the Council's working methods, so as to enhance its effectiveness, increase its transparency and strengthen the understanding of its work by the general membership and their participation in it.

He said the procedure for imposing and removing sanctions by the Council was far from perfect. One or two countries "bent on having their own way" had been able to brandish the big stick of sanctions against the developing countries in disregard of the will of the general membership and suffering of the people of target countries". Practical measures were needed to redress that situation. Discussion on reform of the Council should continue, keeping pace with the times as well as maintaining a historical perspective.

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JACK B. WILMOT (Ghana) noted with satisfaction the methods adopted so far by the Security Council to infuse some transparency into its working methods and decision-making procedures since the working group started its discussions. In particular, he said, there had been an increase in consultations between the Council and troop-contributing countries. Also, formal meetings had been scheduled, in which non-members were encouraged to attend and make presentations if they so desired. Equally noteworthy were the meetings between the President of the Council and the President of the General Assembly.

He said any restructuring of the Council should take into full account the current geographic configuration of the general membership of the United Nations. The veto, Ghana believed, was today anachronistic, and it should be limited to clearly defined situations within the context of Chapter VII of the Charter. Ghana also believed that a formula could be worked out under which a Council veto could be overridden by a certain number of votes in the General Assembly.

ALEKSANDR S. GORELIK (Russian Federation) said that reforming the membership of the Security Council was the central issue in the Organization's restructuring. In addition to its political meaning, the reform had moral and psychological dimensions. More time was needed for consensus. Progress could be achieved only on the basis of realism and a spirit of compromise. The present format of the working group permitted an informal discussion, which was useful. Attempts to formalize discussion would be counter-productive at the present time.

Increasing the membership should be linked with enhancing the Council's working methods as well as preserving and strengthening its efficiency. The Council must remain a compact group, and its increased membership should be limited to around 20 members. Improving the Security Council should take into account the interests of all regional groups.

DAVID PELEG (Israel) said Israel was the only Member State that could not, even theoretically, be elected to serve on the Council. Unlike each of the other 184 Member States, Israel was denied membership in a geopolitical group.

He said that by virtue of its geographical position, Israel was a part of Asia and looked forward to the day when it would be accepted into the Asian Group by consensus. The Organization was based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all Members, yet Israel could not "even receive the privilege of being disappointed for failing to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Council". Israel's exclusion from a geo-political group and this breach of the Charter should be of concern to the entire international community.

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NABIL A. ELARABY (Egypt) said his country supported the position of the Non-Aligned Movement. The current imbalance and lack of representation of the non-aligned countries on the Council must be corrected. Efforts to expand the Council should not lead to developed States occupying new permanent seats to the detriment of developing States. In that process, it was necessary to respect the principle of equitable geographic representation and sovereign equality between States. Negotiations must continue on Council expansion which would lead to agreement on a solution.

He said Egypt's increased role in regional and international activities put Egypt at the forefront of States deserving increased responsibility in regard to the Council. Criteria for selecting new Council members must be realistic. The fact that the Non-Aligned Movement represented the numerical majority in the United Nations was a political reality, and it was imperative to increase the number of non-aligned countries on the Council. New rotating seats for regional representatives must be established, and a method developed for choosing States which showed an ability to take on increased responsibilities within each region.

MOHAMMAD A. ABULHASAN (Kuwait) said it had not been possible to reach consensus concerning enlargement of the Security Council or other matters, such as its working methods, despite the many meetings in the last three years. Kuwait's interest in these discussions derives from its keenness to maintain the effectiveness of the Security Council. Kuwait had suffered from aggression and occupation in 1990; the strong position of the Council on that issue should be preserved and enhanced.

Kuwait joined other small countries in their interest in the enlargement of the Security Council, and those countries should not be victims of any agreement taken on that issue. Citing the position of the Non-Aligned Movement, he cited the importance in Council reform of principles, such as sovereign equality and equitable geographical distribution. The enormous increase in United Nations membership and new world realities should be taken into account, and United Nations organs, especially the Security Council, should adapt to the challenges those realities represented.

A number of countries had proved that they would be able to share the responsibility of helping to maintain international peace and security, and also contribute in various political, social, cultural and other fields, and to peace-keeping operations. Those countries should be given special consideration for permanent seats. Kuwait also believed that the Italian proposal, suggesting an increase in non-permanent seats, merited further consideration.

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