Blitz Bureau
WHILE reaffirming support for a permanent seat for India, the US is calling for text-based negotiations for the reform of the United Nations Security Council, according to the country’s Permanent Representative Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
“The United States supports engaging in text-based negotiations on Council reform,” she said, and added, “It’s actually a big deal. It means we’re ready to work with other countries to negotiate language, prepare amendments, and ready this resolution for a vote in the General Assembly, and ultimately amend the UN Charter.” She also reaffirmed the US position backing permanent Council seats for India, Japan, and Germany.
UNSC PERMANENT SEAT
The Council reform process, known as the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN), has been effectively blocked by a small group of countries that oppose the adoption of a negotiating text.
Without such a document to create an agenda and the basis for negotiations, the discussions have been locked in a circular pattern since they began in 2009, going back to the starting point every year.
An added impetus
India and several countries have been pushing for the adoption of the negotiating text and the US adding its weight gives it added impetus.
A senior administration official said that it was hoped that with Thomas-Greenfield’s announcement, “we will help jumpstart this process in a number of ways by calling for text-based negotiations at the earliest possible opportunities”.
The focus of her speech at the Council on Foreign Relations was on giving two permanent seats to Africa. The UN’s structures that were created in the aftermath of World War II, with some changes in 1965, do not reflect today’s world where the UN has 193 members, Thomas-Greenfield said.
India has long been a vocal proponent of reforming the UNSC, arguing that the 15-member Council, established in 1945, is outdated and does not reflect modern geopolitical dynamics.
The official who briefed reporters said that the US opposes giving the new permanent members veto rights. The group blocking the adoption of a negotiating text is the 12-member Uniting for Consensus (UfC) led by Italy and includes Pakistan which opposes the addition of permanent members.
UfC maintains that there should be a consensus before there can be a negotiating text, locking the process in a Catch-22 situation, because without negotiations that require a text, there can’t be a consensus.
