As India and some other countries bid for permanent membership of an enlarged United Nations Security Council, the US said on Saturday that it believes that the 5-nation panel needs to be expanded, but is not for extending the veto power to new members.
"We do not support extension of veto in the UN Security Council (UNSC)," Acting Assistant Secretary for International Organisation James Warlick told a group of foreign journalists in Washington. India, along with Brazil, Japan and Germany is aspiring to become a permanent member of the UNSC after its reform.
The US, he said, is in discussion with major countries, including India, on what should be the future of the Security Council. "We do believe, the UNSC needs to expand. By expand, we mean modest expansion. And we need to ensure that it is effective. "We do not want to have an institution that gets mired in its own debates; it is so large that it cannot address the issues of international peace and security," he said, briefing the journalists on the Obama administration's approach with regard to various issues related to the United Nations.
"At this point it is very difficult to imagine a UNSC reform proposal that would have two-thirds majority support (in the General Assembly)
and the support of the Permanent Five members of the Security Council to extend the veto to new permanent members," Warlick said, referring to the ongoing debate at the UN headquarters about the extension of veto power to new members of the UNSC.
Warlick, however, said the new administration has not taken any position with regard to the UNSC reform, but said Africa, a 54-country continent, needs to have a voice in the UNSC. "There is no question about that," he said, adding the UNSC needs to be legitimate voice for all member states.
The Acting Assistant Secretary said the US is yet to set its criteria. For those countries who aspire to be permanent members of the UNSC, he said, "we would hope that they would be actively in the United Nations, including financial and other contribution, they would be committed to democratic principles, they would respect human rights." However, he clarified, that the US is not establishing criteria and has not done so far.
"We are going to support UNSC reform that makes it more effective in addressing the issues of international peace and security," he said, adding that the US feels the UNSC needs to be modernised and reflect the realities of the 21st century.