Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday he hoped a power
struggle at the United Nations between the major powers and
developing countries would not derail UN reforms.
Many of the developing nations that make up a majority of the UN
membership have expressed outrage in recent days over what they see
as a power grab by the 15-nation UN Security Council led by the
United States.
A group of countries known as the Non-Aligned Movement and a
bloc of 132 developing nations and China have formally protested
that the council, chaired this month by US Ambassador John Bolton,
was trespassing on UN General Assembly turf by scheduling meetings
this week on procurement fraud and sexual abuse by
peacekeepers.
The two blocs argued these were General Assembly matters rather
than the council's, a stand Annan supported.
Bolton dismissed their concerns, saying the two UN bodies shared
jurisdiction over the matters and the assembly was free to hold its
own meetings.
"While others talk, the United States will act to solve
problems," Bolton told reporters on Monday. "When we uncover
problems, we want to solve them. The Security Council is perfectly
capable of doing that."
Annan acknowledged the tensions triggered by the reform drive
and the widespread unhappiness with the power wielded by the
Security Council's five veto-equipped permanent members, the United
States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
But he encouraged the membership at large to take advantage of
their discontent by seeking ways to strengthen the General
Assembly's hand.
"I think from my discussions with member-states almost all of
them realize that reform is necessary, and would want to see the
organization reformed and strengthened," he said.
The White House has led the call for major reforms at the United
Nations following scandals in UN procurement and the now-defunct
Iraq oil-for-food program.
The United States argues it should have a big say in how the
United Nations is run because it pays for about a quarter of the UN
budget.
But developing nations suspect Washington is trying to use the
reform campaign for its own ends, by enhancing its grip on UN
policymaking while shielding its own actions such as its Guantanamo
prison camp from international scrutiny.
(Chinadaily.com via agencies February 21, 2006)
