Hitting out at those opposing the expansion of the United Nations Security Council, India on Tuesday said the voices of the developing and small countries will not be "stilled" by "status quoists".
"It is the hope of the status quoists that they only have to sit tight and the world will remain the same, but it has changed and will change more," Indian Ambassador Nirupam
Sen told the General Assembly after it had decided to remit the issue of expansion of the Council to the next session.
Wrapping up the 61st session, the 192-member Assembly stressed on the need for sustained efforts to achieve "general agreement" among member states on the issue.
Without mincing words, Sen warned against those holding "cynical" view of the world body's working -- a meaningless ritual where the General Assembly can feel the "mildew coming over it and its bones turn to paste, so useful for the powerful".
He asserted India's approach to expansion of the Security Council has been "consistently reasonable, constructive and democratic" and is based on the "real wishes" of the membership of the United Nations.
Sen stressed the need for the powerful countries to listen to the voices of the developing and small countries in a truly democratic fashion and not to ignore them. The voices of the developing and small countries, he said, will not stilled and continue to disturb sleep of status quoists.
The real point, he said, is that there are two visions of the UN. The one that the UN should in fact and not in comfortable fiction, in real action and not in mere comforting words respond to their concerns.
The other, Sen said, the cynical one of business as usual, a meaningless ritual where the General Assembly can feel the "mildew coming over it and its bones turn to paste, so useful for the powerful".
Intensive inter-governmental negotiations are expected to begin next month on expansion of the Security Council which the 61st session of the UNGA could not resolve.
ndia, Japan, Germany and Brazil, known as Group of four (G-4), are strong contenders for permanent seats in the Security Council but "Uniting for Consensus" group, in which Pakistan plays an important role, opposes expansion in the permanent category.
Sen expressed satisfaction that the report the Assembly has adopted on the reform of the Security Council "finally incorporates the concept of achieving results, holding inter-governmental negotiations on the basis of positions and proposals of member States".
"We on our part are happy not simply on account of the substance of what we struggled for but because the struggle made us part of countries with so many qualities of head and heart, part of so much dignity and courage. They strongly felt that there are wrongs to be righted and rights to be defended," he said.
The most import portent for the future, he said, is that thing will not be the same thereafter because the voices of developing and small sought to be marginalised will continue to resonate. The Assembly had before it a report on the open-ended working group which contained various options including expansion in both permanent and non- permanent categories.
But diplomats agreed that the member states are in for tough negotiations and refused to give any timeframe. Strong support for G-4 came from Britain whose representative asserted that they deserved the permanent membership of the Council.
In the presentations made after the decision to remit the issue to the next session contained in the report was adopted by consensus, the member states reiterated their known positions. Africans support the expansion in both categories but have so far not been able to decide on who should be their candidates for permanent category.
G-4 wants two members from Africa to join the Council as permanent members. The Assembly called for "further concrete steps, including through inter-governmental negotiations" to expand the council so that it reflects the current realities. It urged members to build on the progress achieved so far as well as positions of and proposals by member-states.
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