Saturday, July 2 2005 13:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: In a harsh attack on UN member States like China who advocate consensus as the only basis for expansion of Security Council, India has asserted that the strength of developing nations is their numbers and to deny them vote would mean taking away their main weapon.

"To say that there should be no vote but a consensus is to disarm them (developing nations) of their main weapon. The rhetoric of anti-privilege masks the reality of a cynical Defence of entrenched privilege," Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen yesterday (July 1, 2005) told the United Nations General Assembly's high level segment considering a document on UN reforms to be presented to a September summit of world leaders for adoption.

Rejecting proposals, which either call for expansion in only non-permanent category or seek to deny developing countries a place among permanent members, he said accepting them would mean status quo, which will neither empower General Assembly, not help enhance developing nations' role in the decision making process.

Communist China and Republic of China

Sen said, "A country that displaced another through a vote" is now proposing consensus for others, an apparent reference to Communist China's bid on October 25, 1971 to replace Republic of China as sole representative of China in the UN through a procedural vote. The Assembly had then rejected credentials of Republic of China and accepted those of the People's Republic of China.

"After winning the vote by a bare majority, it proposes much above two-thirds majority for others," Sen said without naming China. "It talks of participation of developing countries but blocks their real participation through expansion of permanent membership leading to improved working methods involving them in UNSC subsidiary bodies."

Uniting for Consensus

The Uniting for Consensus (UFC) group led by Pakistan and Italy and supported by China has proposed that expansion should be only in the non-permanent category by addition of ten members. But Group of Four (G-4) have drafted a resolution, which calls for addition of six permanent and four non permanent members.

The US has said it favours adding two or so permanent members, including Japan, and that the overall membership of the Council should not be more than 20 against 25 proposed by both G-4 and UFC.

US and China's stand

Referring to positions of China and US, Sen said the campaign of one permanent member is dividing the developing countries while the proposals of the other, irrespective of good intentions, would have the effect of dividing region from region and country from country.

"Moreover, since none of these proposals has a two-thirds majority behind it, they seem to be looking not for truth but for effect, not for change but the status quo, not for reform but its prevention," he added.

In alternative proposals, majority of member States are asked to "stamp themselves as inferior members by not ensuring the adoption of working methods that would ensure the day to day participation of non-members in the UNSC subsidiary bodies instead of their election once in a generation by deliberately misunderstanding the formulation on the veto and its role."

"These alternative proposals, therefore, when all the mud is flung, are simply a prop of the existing order of the current pattern of power and dominance. Such proposals have not in years achieved new working methods and do not say how they propose to do so now," he said.

Non Aligned Movement and G-77

Agreeing with the position of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) and G-77 that there should be no greater empowerment of the Security Council, Sen said by leaving the present correlation of forces unchanged and not bringing developing countries into permanent membership to break the "charmed circle", alternative proposals will not change the situation.

"By preserving current patterns of power, the proponents of these proposals are manfully bearing on their shoulders the throne of the current power structure. (But) the burden impedes free movement and free thought."

Make General Assembly stronger

Conceding the need for making General Assembly (GA) stronger, Sen said unless the balance of power is changed through developing countries becoming permanent members and ensuring participatory, inclusive and transparent working methods, revitalisation of the GA can hardly be achieved.

The P-5

"Above all, the GA would assert its authority by electing new permanent members and holding them accountable. And on that day when none of the P-5 (five UNSC permanent members) can veto a decision of GA taken thrice through a two-thirds majority, the GA would stand truly and finally revitalised," he remarked.

He was referring to fear that one or more permanent members might not ratify the amendment to charter to include new permanent members, thus scuttling the decision of the General Assembly, which would have adopted the three resolutions that G-4 plan to move by two-thirds majority.

In the Assembly, the five - United States, Britain, Russia, France and China -- do not have a veto and thus cannot prevent adoption of any resolution is the requisite majority is available.