World leaders continue calls for reform of UN
Regional, Politics, 9/27/2003

World leaders yesterday continued to call for multilateralism in addressing global security issues and reform of the United Nations, as the General Assembly's annual high-level debate entered its fourth day.

The first to address the Assembly this morning, President Janez Drnovsek of Slovenia said that in a time of growing global interdependence the multilateralism of the UN must be grounded in an awareness that no one can be satisfied in the long-term, as long as there were people living in poverty without the basic necessities of human dignity. He stressed that freedom should not be sacrificed in the fight against terrorism. International commitments to respect human rights must therefore be upheld, he said, lauding the creation of the International Criminal Court as an important step in rights protection.

President Drnovsek expressed Slovenia's support of proposals for recommendations to reform the General Assembly and to enlarge the Security Council to give it a satisfactory level of legitimacy.

The President of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro said the Organization should be made more efficient in meeting new challenges and channelling differences. Pressing situations of conflict, such as those in the Middle East and Asia, must be addressed, while on the economic stage, foreign debt relief must become a reality, he stated.

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti expressed his hope that the reduction in global military spending during the past decade and the rise in spending for human development would promote both human and economic growth. In addition, the President said he hoped the international focus on terrorism would not lead to another arms race or spark the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Philippines President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said: to fulfil its envisioned role the UN must continue to adapt to changing conditions. She said democracy was the most conducive condition for the rule of law to flourish and stressed the importance of erecting machineries and infrastructure as a key part of any exit strategy by UN peacekeeping operations.

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe said the UN was under enormous stress as the adequacy and effectiveness of rules devised 50 years ago were being questioned. The apparent irrelevance of the current multilateral rules and institutions to deal with the world's problems compelled urgent attention, he said, calling for the expansion of the Security Council to include Asia and for the Assembly to think creatively and unconventionally in its proposals for reform.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, said the range of challenges now confronting the international community in a globalized and interdependent world required nations to unite in common endeavour. Only through cooperation and multilateral effort could human rights, social and economic justice for all, and the achievement of peace and security be guaranteed, he stated. Mr. Malielegaoi said the UN, as the organization uniquely suited to pursue those global objectives, should be reformed and modernized. Substantive changes were required in the General Assembly and Security Council, which should be enlarged to permit the inclusion of new permanent members, he said.

Previous Stories:
  Annan warns UN at crossroads over issue of unilateral action   (9/24/2003)
  Financial Times: Annan calls for reforming the UN Security Council   (9/8/2003)
  UN officials hail inauguration of first international war crimes tribunal   (3/13/2003)
  Continued assault on individiual liberty lead by the UN Security Council under pretexts of fighting terrorism   (1/18/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search