Posted August. 25, 2004 22:01,
The U.N. Secretary-Generals High Level Panel, working on U.N. reform, came up with a proposal to create semi-permanent membership with no veto rights, while leaving the current permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council intact, reported Japans Yomiuri Shimbun Wednesday.
Nations such as Japan and Germany, seeking to be permanent members, are strongly against the proposal. The plan is emerging as one of the key issues in the reform of the United Nations, which will mark its 60th anniversary next year.
Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans, one of the panel members, proposed that the U.N. Security Council expand to a three-tiered structure the existing permanent members, non-permanent members for a two-year term, and a second-tier of semi-permanent members at a meeting with a Japanese high-ranking official in Tokyo on Tuesday.
His proposal calls for the expansion of the Security Council from its present two-tiered, 15-member structure of five permanent and 10 non-permanent members to a three-tiered one with more than 20 members, the creation of a second tier of seven or eight semi-permanent members for a renewable five-year term, and reviewing the structure of the Security Council 15 years later when the semi-permanent members conclude their third term.
Semi-permanent seats will be elected and will not have veto rights, which are the privilege of permanent members, but they would have a voice like permanent members.
Five permanent members, the so-called Big 5, are passive on the subject of Security Council reform, and many non-U.N. Security Council members are negative about increasing the number of permanent member countries. These factors seem to have led to the compromised plan of creating semi-permanent members.
Former Minister Evans asked if Japan is willing to accept the proposal, saying that the plan is highly likely to be adopted.
The Japanese government said there was no change in its position that semi-permanent members should have rights equivalent to those of permanent members since no veto rights would be discrimination against semi-permanent members.
Likewise, Germany, India, and Brazil are also opposed to the proposal of creating semi-permanent membership, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro said on Tuesday that there could be new permanent members. He said he would publicize Japans intention to obtain a permanent seat in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly scheduled for September 21.
To add new members to the Security Council, two-thirds of the 191 U.N. member nations will have to vote for it.