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G-4 resolution is ‘selfish demand for unequal privileges’: Pakistan

* Brazil introduces resolution on UNSC enlargement

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan mounted a strong opposition in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to a draft resolution by India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, calling it a “selfish” demand for “unequal privileges.”

The Group of Four (G-4) wants to add 10 new seats to the 15-member council, four of them permanent seats for themselves, two for African nations, plus another four non-permanent seats. The African Union wants 11 additional seats, six permanent and five non-permanent.

“The seekers of special privileges and power masquerade as champions of the weak, asserting that the special privileges they seek will make the UNSC more representative,” said Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram, adding, “History has witnessed many who proclaimed they came to bury, not praise Caesar.”

At the start of the debate, Brazil’s UN envoy Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg introduced the G-4 draft, which calls for enlarging the council from 15 to 25 members by creating six new permanent seats without veto power and four non-permanent seats.

G-4 countries are pressing for an early vote on the draft, which is co-sponsored by 23 countries including France, but experts doubt the draft would achieve the two-thirds votes needed for adoption. No date for a vote has been set, but the assembly debate will continue on Tuesday afternoon.

“Instead of a divisive vote, let us opt for a decisive dialogue,” said the Pakistani ambassador. He also promoted the Italy and Pakistan’s jointly led ‘Uniting for Consensus’ (UfC) group’s “equitable and fair” draft resolution seeking the council’s enlargement in the non-permanent category only. The UfC draft was also circulated in the 191-member assembly on Monday.

Pakistan is leading a group of about 20 nations, which have circulated but not introduced a resolution that seeks 10 new non-permanent members, with various terms in office.

Ambassador Akram said that when UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had proposed a panel on United Nations reform, his purpose had been to strengthen and unite the organisation to address old and new threats. “Unfortunately,” said the ambassador, “Since the establishment of the panel, pressure had been exerted on its members to secure reflection of a model for council expansion that would secure permanent membership for a small group of nations.”

China’s UN envoy Wang Guangya also voiced strong reservations. “China is firmly opposed to setting an artificial timeframe for the Security Council reform and rejects the forcible vote on any formula on which there still exist significant differences,” he said.

Argentina, a leading member of the UfC group also slammed the G4 draft for creating “discrimination and artificial hegemonies throughout the regions which will be detrimental for the work of the Security Council.”

Instead, Argentina’s UN envoy Cesar Mayoral urged support for United for Consensus’ competing draft that calls for 10 new non-permanent members who would be elected for two years as is the case at present, but with the possibility of immediate re-election. agencies

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