United Nations: Setting the stage for a major overhaul of the United Nations, a high-level panel appointed by the Secretary-General has proposed the expansion of the Security Council, but rejected the idea of veto power to new permanent members in case member States decide to increase the number.

The international panel, set up last year by Kofi Annan, submitted its recommendations yesterday (Nov 30, 2004) on a host of issues, ranging from reforms in the world body to the definition of terrorism.

Unable to agree on whether to increase membership in both permanent and non-permanent categories or only in non-permanent category, the panel has given two options.

The first option provides for increasing the number of permanent members by six, two each from Africa, Asia and Pacific, Europe and Americas, and of non-permanent members by three to be divided among major regional areas. But significantly the new permanent members would not have veto power.

The second option would not increase the number of permanent members but create a new category of "eight four-year renewable term" seats besides increasing the number of members in non-permanent category by just one. The Council now has 15 members including five permanent members-the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China with veto power. Both options would raise the number of members to 24.

At present, the non-permanent members have a two-year term but a country cannot get two successive terms. The second option would allow the members in the new category to get any number of successive four-year terms. Like non permanent members, they too would be elected by the General Assembly.

The rationale against granting veto power to new permanent members under the first option is that efforts should be made to restrict the use of veto even by existing permanent members rather than extending this privilege to new members.

To this end, the panel has recommended the introduction of system of "indicative voting", which proposes that the Council first take non binding vote on controversial issues during which veto cannot be cast. In the second stage, it takes binding vote in which veto can be cast.

The rationale for introducing this system is that if an overwhelming majority supports or opposes a particular measure in the "indicative voting", it would put a strong moral pressure on permanent members against casting veto.

The panel suggests that only those members should find place on the Council who contribute most to the United Nations financially, militarily, diplomatically, specially in terms of contributions to the assessed budgets, participation in peace keeping operations, contribution to voluntary activities of the United Nations in areas of security, development and diplomatic activities in support of the world body's objectives and mandates.

"Among the developed countries, achieving or making substantial progress towards the internationally agreed level of 0.7 per cent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to ODA should be considered an important criterion of contribution," it said.