War on terror needs more UN seats for Islam: Juwono<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A major restructuring of the United Nations Security Council, to
\ninclude more Muslim countries, would be beneficial in the global
\nwar against terrorism, international relations professor Juwono
\nSudarsono said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Juwono, from the University of Indonesia, proposed that, in
\norder to enhance the world's effectiveness in combating terror,
\nthe UN Security Council needed to reserve more seats for
\npredominantly Muslim countries as non-permanent members.<\/p>\n
\"Muslim countries, which have so far been under-represented in
\nthe Security Council, must be incorporated in the council to
\nboost the global war against terrorism,\" Juwono told reporters
\nafter addressing a seminar on terrorism here.<\/p>\n
The seminar, held in commemoration of the 57th Anniversary of
\nthe United Nations, entitled Shared Responsibility in Combating
\nTerrorism: Post Bali Tragedy.<\/p>\n
Juwono suggested that the security council add five countries
\nto its existing 10 non-permanent members, with a priority for
\nthose five seats to be given to predominantly-Muslim countries or
\nregions which were under-represented in the Security Council.<\/p>\n
\"Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Egypt or Brazil would be ideal to
\nfill the additional seats,\" said Juwono, saying that the five
\nwere also prominent in terms of population.<\/p>\n
The council has five permanent members with veto rights and
\nhas played a very active role in the world's security affairs.
\nIts decisions often bind all UN member countries.<\/p>\n
The five permanent members are the United States, France, the
\nUnited Kingdom, Russia and China. The 10 non-permanent members
\n(currently, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Colombia, Guinea, Ireland,
\nMauritius, Mexico, Norway, Singapore and Syria) are voted in
\nevery two years, based on continental and regional groupings as
\nwell as their overall contribution to international peace and
\nsecurity.<\/p>\n
Juwono said the restructuring would provide a sense that
\nMuslim countries were involved in the war against terrorism.<\/p>\n
The involvement of Muslim countries in the war against
\nterrorism would also enhance their commitment to it, he added.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, it would ease suspicions that Muslim countries, and
\ndeveloping countries, were reduced to peripheral roles on the
\nSecurity Council,\" said Juwono, a former minister of defense.<\/p>\n
The permanent membership is stipulated in the UN's 1948
\nfounding charter, and it would require some effort to change the
\ncharter.<\/p>\n
The five UN Security Council permanent members indeed control
\nhuge financial and military resources, and therefore, indeed
\nwield influential power in international relations.<\/p>\n
In order to curb the domination by the permanent members in
\nthe decision making process in the Security Council, the rest of
\nUN members must take strategic steps, including to wage a
\ncampaign to erode the permanent members' exclusive veto rights,
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
\"For example, a new regulation must rule that the veto rights
\ncould only be taken if there is approval by three-fourths of the
\nmembers of the UN,\" Juwono proposed.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/war-on-terror-needs-more-un-seats-for-islam-juwono-1447893297",
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