U.S. open to UN Security Coucil reforms

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)