U.S. open to UN Security Coucil reforms

JAKARTA (JP): The United States is open to the idea of a new membership formula for the United Nations Security Council which would allow countries such as Indonesia to serve more frequently as non-permanent members, a senior U.S. official said yesterday.

"We are open to the idea of allowing non-permanent members to succeed themselves as a way of allowing important regional powers, such as Indonesia, to serve on the council more often," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Madeleine K. Albright said.

Despite indicating a general nod for an expansion to accommodate more Asian representation on the council, the U.S. position seemed cooler about the idea that the number of permanent seats be increased to accommodate countries like Indonesia.

Albright arrived in Indonesia on Sunday for a two-day visit, after attending the UN Conference on Women in Beijing.

She held separate meetings yesterday morning with both President Soeharto and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Alatas. The issue of UN reform was reportedly discussed in each meeting.

Speaking to an audience at the foreign ministry's International Affairs Forum, Albright said Washington was in favor of expanding the security council's membership from 15 to 20 or 21 seats.

"My government favors expanding the Council by as many as five seats, to 20, thereby increasing representation without becoming unwieldy," she said.

The council is comprised of five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the U.S. -- and 10 non-permanent members, who are elected and serve two-year terms. Indonesia began serving a two-year tenure in the council this year.

Albright argued that, to remain effective, the council must reflect the current international power structure, which means including Germany and Japan as permanent members.

"The number of UN members has more than tripled and newly- powerful nations have emerged," she said.

While defending Germany and Japan's right to permanent seats along with Asia's need for more representation, Albright seemed to dodge questions when asked if the U.S. thought Asian countries other than China should be allocated a permanent seat.

She said that various proposals had been put forward, but that the U.S. had not "focused on one or the other."

She said that under one such proposal, rather than having one new regional permanent member, there would be a permanent regional seat "within which there would be a rotation of three or four of the major regional powers."

Apart from the security council, Albright says that a major revamp of various aspects of the UN is needed.

"The UN does not work as well as it should...It remains plagued by waste, sloppy management and a bureaucracy that has grown too large," she said.

While addressing the International Affairs Forum yesterday, Albright was involved in a heated exchange of words with the Iraqi ambassador to Indonesia, Sadoon J. Zubaydi, who was responding to some remarks made by Albright concerning Iraq.

In response to a question, Albright accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of using his wealth to build palaces, rather than meeting the needs of his people.

Zubaydi retaliated by accusing the U.S., and Albright in particular, of being "a dominator and not a partner" in the UN.

Attempts by Albright to interrupt Zubaydi were met by the Iraqi ambassador: "You control the UN. Are you going to control this room as well?" (mds)