Panel set up to discuss UN reform

Rendi W. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has set up a special panel to determine Indonesia's position on the planned enlargement of the United Nation Security Council (UNSC), former foreign minister Ali Alatas announced on Thursday.

Alatas, a special envoy for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said the panel would decide whether Indonesia would choose the "Model A" or "Model B" proposal for the enlargement of UNSC seats, or formulate another option.

Alatas made the statement after meeting with Susilo to report on his new job as Annan's special envoy.

He said the 45-member panel held its first meeting on Thursday night at the presidential office, which was chaired by President Susilo.

The panel includes senior diplomats, international observers and non-governmental organization workers, such as HS Dillon, Todung Mulya Lubis and Felia Salim.

Model A and B proposals involve the distribution of seats between four major regions of Africa, the Asia Pacific, Europe and America, in which each region gets six new permanent seats.

Under Model A, the Asia-Pacific region with its 56 UN members would get two new permanent seats in addition to China, plus three seats would be rotated every two years.

Model B proposes no new permanent seats but creates a new category of eight four-year renewable seats and one new two-year nonpermanent (and nonrenewable) seat, divided among Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Americas.