United Nations: The UN Security Council
reform, being debated since two decades, is "too long overdue"
and the necessary expansion must be made considering how much
the world has changed, UN chief Ban-Ki-moon said on Wednesday.
Ban was elected this week to serve for a second term
as the UN Secretary General.
"It has been too long overdue," Ban told journalists
on the issue of UNSC reforms.
"Just consider how much world has changed. And there
should be necessary expansion or whatever changes in the
Security Council," he added.
The 15-member council currently has five permanent
members -- China, France, Russia, the UK and the US -- and 10
non-permanent members.
India, which is currently serving a two-year term as a
non-permanent member, has been pushing for a seat in an
expanded Security Council.
In February, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna
came to the UN to push the reform agenda along with the other
G4 nations -- Brazil, Germany and Japan ? that are also
bidding for a permanent seat in an expanded Council.
In May, president of the General Assembly Joseph Deiss
said that the UN would lose its "credibility" if the Security
Council was not reformed quickly.
The UN chief, however, noted that the past three years
had seen "accelerated pace" among member-states who are now
negotiation from a text.
"This will continue... I hope there will be some good
progress," he said.
PTI
