Libya asks for radical reform of the UN
Libya-UN, Politics, 9/30/2004

Libya called for a permanent seat at the forum of the UN Security Council especially after it has given up the banned weapons. Tripoli also called for the expansion of the council and transferring its authority to permit resorting to military actions thru the vote of the UN General Assembly.

In his speech before the UN General Assembly, Libya's secretary for foreign relations Abdul Rahman Shalqam called for that the African Union to get a permanent seat at the UN Security Council to be rotating among all its members.

Shalqam said that the UN General Assembly is but a decorated commission but without spirit. He considered not making reforms means the need to stop financing the UN which he described as a dead commission.

Shalqam said that the UN GA should hold its 6th session next year in Geneva instead of the headquarters in New York. He said that this will make it easy for the leaders of the world, in remarks to the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qathafi not comming to the USA. He said that Tripoli will help in paying any additional costs necessitated by this measure.

The Libyan official explained in his speech that al-Qathafi will propose the world leaders of forming a committee of trustee as an authority to solve settlements in the world. He indicated that this committee should include three former presidents the US President bill Clinton, the Russian Michael Gorbachove and Nelson Mandella of south Africa, noting that all leaders of the world support this idea.

Meantime, JANA quoted from from the speech saying: "We must speak about reform, and before we speak about reform in the Middle east, in states of the former Soviet Union, or in any part of the world we must reform the United nations" the secretary said.

"Before we speak about lack of democracy in the world, we must recognize that it is missing in the United Nations itself, since the General Assembly is the parliament of parliaments, and the Security Council is the government of governments, we have no rights to talk about democracy and reform in the world unless we reform the head, I mean the structure of the United Nations" he said.

"During the past 59 years, it has been proved that the General Assembly is but a decoration, a body without soul; all authoritiesare in the hand of the Security Council; it is the one that controls all work of the UN, it is the sole authority. Therefore, my country proposes that the 60th session of the General Assembly next year would be decisive and important, during which invitations should be extended to all world head of states to attend and take part, and declare as from now that the 60th session will declare the radical reform of the UN" he stated.

" We say we have two options, either to transfer the powers of the chapters six and seven to the General Assembly instead of the Security Council, or else we have no option but to abrogate the General Assembly, and cease expenditure on this ineffective body. In such case, the structure of the Security Council should be reviewed by increasing its members, granting the seats to the new spaces such as the African Union, South east Asia, Latin American space, the veto right should also be reviewed, in order to have new rules since the membership of the Security Council is to be expanded" the Secretary said.

Shalqam said that Qathafi will shortly deal with the question of reforms of the UN with more details.

Previous Stories:
  Europe lifts weapons ban from Libya   (9/23/2004)
  Europe discusses lifting the sanctions from Libya   (9/22/2004)
  Time to get rid of the US or the UN   (9/15/2003)

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