‘Addition of new permanent members in UN Security Council opposed’

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday attended the annual ministerial meeting of the “Uniting for Consensus (UfC)” hosted by the Italian Foreign Minister in a virtual format, where it was decided to oppose any addition of new members in the United Nations (UN) Security Council, ARY NEWS reported.     

Detailing the event, the foreign office while quoting Shah Mahmood Qureshi laid out a five-point proposal for advancing the UfC’s shared priorities for reforming the UN Security Council.

He reaffirmed that Pakistan will continue to promote a comprehensive reform of the Security Council in order to make it a more democratic, representative, accountable, transparent and efficient body.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi rejected attempts by some countries to exploit the UN reform process for advancing their narrow national ambitions, including their self-arrogated claims to permanent seats on the Security Council.

He stressed that, in accordance with the decisions of the UN General Assembly, “we must continue the effort to promote a solution which enjoys the ‘widest possible political acceptance’ of all member states.”

“The UfC’s position is simple, logical and straightforward. It is the only practical solution to the reform of the Council.”

The foreign office also shared a joint statement issued by the UFC which called for reaching a consensual solution to longstanding issue of enlargement of the UNSC and said that the UfC ministers reaffirmed that the IGN remains the sole legitimate setting for discussion on Security Council reform, in full transparency and with the participation of all UN Member States.

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UfC Ministers called upon all member states to continue to engage constructively in seeking a fair and equitable compromise solution that meets the collective interest of all 193 Members of the UN, garnering the widest possible political support from the membership.

Consistent with their approach, the UfC Ministers agreed to continue working to support the aspirations of African countries for a more equitable representation of their Continent in a reformed Security Council, as well as the aspirations of other developing Regions, of small States and SIDS.

UfC Ministers confirmed their opposition to enlarging the Security Council to new permanent members.