As India plus 3 put out draft for seats, US & China frown

Stepping up their efforts for expansion of the UN Security Council, India Germany, Japan and Brazil—the G-4—have circulated a draf...

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Stepping up their efforts for expansion of the UN Security Council, India Germany, Japan and Brazil—the G-4—have circulated a draft resolution that retains veto powers for new permanent members.

The draft resolution, which was circulated among 70 countries at a meeting in the UN yesterday, states that new entrants should have the ‘‘same responsibilities and obligations’’ as the current permanent members, including veto power over UNSC resolutions.

The draft resolution calls for expansion of the UNSC from 15 to 25 with six new permanent members and four temporary members. The G-4 countries are all claimants for permanent membership while two others will be representatives from Africa.

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Reacting to the retention of the demand for veto in the G-4 draft, the US called it a ‘‘matter of concern’’. Department of State spokesperson Richard Boucher said this matter ‘‘will raise a lot of different views among different nations’’.

China was more vocal, criticising the G-4 for circulating a draft that will ‘‘fuel conflict and undermine’’ the UN reform process.

‘‘So far we have found that there is still a great gap between the core aspects of this draft and the positions of various countries, including China,’’ said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kong Quan.

But the G-4 draft text adds that differences over veto powers should not be a stumbling block in carrying forward with UNSC expansion.

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The council, according to the draft, must be expanded so as to reflect contemporary world realities. The draft comes a day after the US made it clear that it will not support the G-4 claims unless they give up their insistence for veto power.

Going by plan, the four countries will move a framework resolution in the UN General Assembly in June, before which they expect to gather requisite numbers in their favour. They need support of two-thirds of the 191 UN members.

The four countries hope to get the UNGA to adopt framework resolution by June, then elect new permanent members by mid-July and adopt the third resolution to amend the charter within the next two weeks. The move also counters efforts being made by the ‘‘united for consensus’’ group of countries, consisting of Italy and Pakistan, which opposes expansion of permanent membership.

South Block officials said the efforts now would be to muster maximum support around the draft resolution which can still be worked upon before it is tabled before the UNGA.

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‘‘It is a draft resolution at this stage… it has been presented to possible co-sponsors. So now we will see how the support coalesces around the draft,’’ said the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs.

The four countries are looking to complete the entire process before the summit of world leaders at the UN in mid-September which will consider UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s reforms proposals.