China
UPDATED: 10:15, September 23, 2004
China: United Nations "not a board of directors"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing on Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council was ¡°not a board of directors¡± and its composition should not be decided ¡°according to the financial contribution of its members.¡±
¡°We understand Japan¡¯s expectation to play a greater role in international affairs. But we also believe that if a country wishes to play a responsible role in international affairs, it must have a clear understanding of the historical questions concerning itself,¡± Kong said.
Brazil, Germany, Japan and India promised Tuesday to support each other¡¯s bid for a permanent seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council.
Leaders of the four countries met in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly annual ministerial debate and issued a joint statement pledging support for each other¡¯s candidacies.
The statement declared the countries as ¡°legitimate¡± candidates for permanent membership on an expanded Security Council, whose enlargement is one of major topics during the ongoing assembly debate opening Tuesday.
Noting that the U.N.¡¯s membership has increased nearly four-fold since its founding in 1945, the statement said the 15-nation council ¡°must be expanded in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, including developing and developed countries as new permanent members.¡±
¡°The Security Council must reflect the realities of the international community in the 21st century,¡± it stressed. ¡°It is essential that the Security Council includes, on a permanent basis,countries that have the will and the capacity to take on major responsibilities with regard to the maintenance of international peace and security.¡±
The statement said Africa must also be represented in the permanent membership of the council.
No African countries attended Tuesday¡¯s quartet meeting as the region remains divided on which state it should support. The region now has three contenders -- Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria.
As suggested by Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Japan, Brazil, Germany and India scheduled a foreign ministerial meeting for Friday to discuss concrete measures to implement their agreement.
The Security Council is composed of five permanent members -- China, Russia, the United States, France and Britain -- and 10 elected members which have a two-year term. The council¡¯s permanent membership has not changed since 1945.
The council¡¯s expansion has been under discussion for more than one decade. Brazil, Germany, Japan and India, which have long aspired for permanent council seats, stepped up their campaign after U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed a high-level panel last year to study the reform of the United Nations.
The panel is due to present a report in December and then Annan will present his recommendations to the General Assembly in March.
In August, an option the panel is considering was leaked to the press. The proposal provides for an increase of eight semi-permanent members, which would sit on the council for five-year terms, subject to renewal. But the idea was strongly opposed by Brazil, Japan, Germany and India.
Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies
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