National

G-4's resolution tabled again

Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI: Japan did not join Germany, Brazil and India in "re-tabling" the G-4 resolution of July 6, 2005, seeking expansion of the United Nations' Security Council in New York on Thursday.

Official sources said today that while the Japanese permanent representative to the U.N. was present, Tokyo did not join the other constituents of the G-4 in tabling the resolution again.

According to the sources, the resolution had to be tabled again because the U.N. General Assembly had begun a new session. Also, the African Union had brought forward its own draft and the General Assembly could not vote on two similar resolutions.

They pointed out that even though the G-4 resolution was tabled at short notice, the draft had 25 co-sponsors. France was one of the co-sponsors of the draft, which calls for increasing the number of Security Council seats from 15 to 25 by adding six permanent and four non-permanent members.

A statement from the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday that Brazil, Germany and India "will continue" the cooperative framework of the G-4 with Japan.

"All member states genuinely interested in reform are welcome to discuss the draft resolution. Discussions will be undertaken with an open mind with a view to further broadening the basis of support."

"The aim of the re-tabling the G-4 draft resolution is not to call for a vote in the immediate future, but to further explore the potential of joining hands with all member states supporting structural reform of the Security Council. In this context, the efforts of the African Union are encouraging," it said.

The statement claimed it was widely recognised that no other model for the reform and expansion of the Security Council had met with a similarly high level of endorsement as that of the G-4. "A comprehensive reform of the U.N. Security Council will bring it in line with contemporary realities and strengthen the United Nations as a whole."

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