The five permanent members of the Security Council were united in their support for expanding Council membership, but presented contrasting views on the scope of such expansion. China’s representative called for an “effective increase in the representation of developing countries” and joined calls for redressing the historical injustice suffered by Africa as a priority. The Russian Federation’s delegate echoed that appeal and urged for enhanced representation of developing States in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Voicing opposition to “the initiative that would infringe on prerogatives of current members of the Council”, he said: “The use or threat of the use of the veto has time and again freed the UN from being pulled into dubious undertakings.”
The representative of France underlined support for Africa’s demand for two permanent seats, as well as a greater number of elected seats. Council expansion in both categories of membership is a must, and his country would not be opposed to granting the veto to new permanent members, he added. The United States’ speaker also voiced support for adding two permanent seats for Africa, as well as a rotating seat for small island developing States to ensure their consistent representation. The United Kingdom’s delegate envisioned an expansion in both the permanent and non-permanent categories of membership to a total in the mid-twenties. “We want to see permanent African representation, and permanent seats for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan,” he added. Läs pressmeddelande