Committee: German Govt Risks UN Reform - Díez-Hochleitner: Demand for Veto Right Misguided

The Committee for a Democratic United Nations (CDUN) in Germany considers the governments demand for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council with equal rights" to be counterproductive. To demand new permanent members of the Security Council with veto right is misguided, said Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, member of the CDUN advisory council.

Berlin (PRWEB) January 9, 2005 -- The Committee for a Democratic United Nations (CDUN) in Germany considers the governments demand for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council with equal rights" to be counterproductive. The demand was put forward last December by chancellor Gerhard Schröder during a visit to Japan. By requesting veto rights for new permanent members, among them Germany, the government provides further arguments to the states, which oppose the concept of new permanent memberships. Among them are countries such as Italy, Spain, Pakistan, Algeria, South Corea, Argentina, Kenya and Poland. Instead of trying to convince the international community with constructive arguments, the chancellors office obviously believes that it at least may be able to implement the permanent seat as such if it enters the discussion with this ideal stipulation. However, it is very doubtful if the opponents of new permanent memberships will get involved in this tactic at all, said CDUN-chairman Andreas Bummel. Germanys stipulation cannot be implemented in the international community. It was not without reason that, after careful considerations, the report of the High-Level-Panel on UN reform, released in early December, recommended that the veto right should not be expanded under any circumstances. The German government puts the whole reform process at risk with its demand. This is diplomacy by sledgehammer", said Bummel.

To demand new permanent members of the Security Council with veto right is misguided, said Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner, member of the CDUN advisory council. In the past, the veto right has substantially contributed to the incompetence of the Security Council to fulfill its main responsibility, namely the maintenance of world peace and international security", Díez-Hochleitner, honorary president of the Club of Rome, continued. According to the first reform model of the High-Level-Panel,six new permanent members of the Security Council would be created. If they were vested with a veto right as well, it would be even more complicated for the Council to make fast and clear decisions when faced with difficult situations", said Díez-Hochleitner. This could possibly lead to a complete paralysis of the United Nations. On the contrary, instead of expanding the veto right, restrictions of the existing veto rights should be strived for, for example by voluntary self-commitments, an obligation to account to the General Assembly for applying a veto or the requirement of a double-veto. Unfortunately the German government currently does not play a positive role in this regard", said Bummel in conclusion.

CDUN was founded in February 2004. Its membership comprises parliamentarians from all groups in the German Bundestag as well as scholars, non-governmental organizations and other public figures.

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