Asia deserves two Security Council seats, says Alatas

Asia deserves two Security Council seats, says Alatas

UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas said Tuesday that developing Asian nations deserved two permanent seats on the Security Council but the General Assembly should avoid being rushed into a decision on the contentious issue.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Alatas said Africa had indicated they would like two permanent seats in any plan to enlarge the 15-member body.

"By the same token, we believe that it is legitimate that the new composition of the Security Council should have two new permanent members from among the developing countries of the Asian continent," he said.

Alatas apparently raised the idea of two seats for developing Asian countries to open the door for Indonesia to join the UN's most powerful body, although he did not specifically say so.

The current council includes five permanent members, the main victors of the Second World War -- the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France -- and 10 other countries who rotate for two-year terms.

Alatas made no mention of a possible Indonesian candidacy, but said efforts to reform the council "should not be subject to any imposed-time frame. For although the issue is urgent, it should not be decided before there is a general agreement."

Currently the most liberal plan calls for permanent seats for Germany, Japan and representatives from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

But disputes on who should have the regional seats, whether new members would have veto power and how many nonpermanent members, if any, should be added may delay reform of the council for years to come.

India and Brazil have proposed themselves as candidates from Asia and Latin America.

Although Japan is an Asian country, its interests are different from those of developing countries of the world's most populous continent.

As the world's fourth largest country in population, Indonesia probably would be squeezed out by India if only one country from Asia occupied the seat.

Alatas told the General Assembly that new permanent members should be chosen not only by geography but also their "political, economic and demographic weight" and their "track record of contributing" to world peace.

Alatas indicated he was in no hurry to see the council expanded, saying such efforts should not be subject to "any imposed time frame".

In an apparent reference to the United States, which now owes the United Nations US$1.5 billion, Alatas said reforming the world body should not become a euphemism for budget slashing or an excuse for "certain states" to renege on their financial obligations.

Instead reform should adhere to the organization's fundamental goals: "the ability to foster the development and to address the root causes of poverty and conflict".

He endorsed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's proposal to restructure the world body but said a "careful study" was needed in his plans to integrate human rights activities into all UN programs.

Alatas also harshly criticized free trade, saying that "we have no illusions" about globalization or the health of the world economy.

"Millions in the developing world still languish in wrenching poverty," he said.

"Given the sharp fluctuations of international financial flows and currency manipulation by speculators, economies built through years of patient, sound and solid fiscal and monetary policy- making could be crushed overnight in the anarchy of the globalized marketplace," he said.

"Globalization, therefore, should be managed so as to soften its impact on vulnerable economies."

Alatas said the crippling debt in the Third World also impeded development and again advocated an approach that would "once and for all" reduce indebtedness to a level that would allow development to resume.