New York, May 02: Although Indonesia has not been nominated as a permanent seat in a revamped UN Security Council, it will follow up any proposal by another country in this regard, an Indonesian diplomat has said. No country has formally made such a proposal as yet, ad interim charge D'affaires of the office of Indonesia's permanent representative to the UN, ambassador Mochamad Slamet Hidayat, said here on Wednesday. "Indonesia has never formally proposed to nominate itself (for the permanent seat). Neither has any other country nominated Indonesia for the seat. However, if another country nominates us for the seat, we will follow up the proposal," he said. He was responding to a statement made by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, who said he will propose to the world body next week that the UNSC be revamped to include a permanent seat for India and Indonesia. Under the plan, Howard sees the council becoming a three-tiered body, replacing the existing two-tiered system. India, Indonesia, Japan, Germany and Brazil would form the second tier with permanent seats but no right of veto, unlike permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.The last five places making up the third tier would continue to be elected and rotated every year or two.However, Australia's permanent representative to the UN John Dauth ruled out the possibility that Howard would discuss a permanent seat for Indonesia during his meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan next week.
He said the main agenda of Howard's visit here on May 5 is the post-war situation in Iraq. Bureau Report