UNITED NATIONS, February 7: Pakistan has told the United Nations that the campaign by a group of countries for permanent seats on the Security Council defies the 21st century principle of achieving democratic representation through periodic elections.
Without naming them, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UN, Maleeha Lodhi, was referring to the Group of Four – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan -who have been demanding permanent membership of the 15-member body for the past twenty years.
“In the 21st century it is inconceivable to establish or run an institution – national or international- which does not embrace the fundamental principles of representation and accountability with periodic elections and fixed term and rotation…”, Ambassador Lodhi said on Monday in remarks at the long-running Intergovernmental Negotiations aimed at expanding the Security Council to make it more representative.
“But here we are gridlocked in reforming the Security Council because some among us want a status that defies the basic norms of democratic representation and accountability,” the Pakistani envoy said, while asking the G-4 to be flexible in their demand for permanent seats.
Despite a general agreement on enlarging the Council, as part of the UN reform process, member states remain sharply divided over the details. – DNA
