India for compromise on UNSC reforms

Pressing for UN Security Council reforms, India has suggested a compromise solution on the tricky issue of what kind of veto power the new permanent members should hold.

The G-4 — Brazil, Germany, India and Japan — hold the view that the new permanent members should have the same responsibilities and obligations as the current permanent members the US, UK, Russia, France and China.

However, the new permanent members will hold off wielding the veto power for 15 years after the reforms come into place.

“The new permanent members shall not exercise the right of veto until the question of the extension of the right of veto to new permanent members has been decided upon in the framework of the review mandated 15 years after the entry into force of the Council reform,” said Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s envoy to the United Nations.

Speaking at the ongoing discussion on the reforms this week, Puri said that this compromise would “ensure that the veto does not veto Council reform.”

At this stage only a small number of countries want the veto to be abolished altogether but a large majority would prefer some restrictions on the use of veto, especially, under certain circumstances like genocide, crimes against humanity and serious violations of international humanitarian law; war crimes, ethnic cleansing and terrorism.

The deliberations on the veto are part of the growing momentum to achieve concrete progress on UNSC reforms.

This year the discussion was kicked off with the chairperson of security reform process Zahir Tanin, who is also Afghanistan’s permanent representative to the UN, asking member-states to submit proposals that can be worked into a negotiating text, which will be the basis for future discussions.