Two Proposals for UN Security Council Reform

Yahoo!News - Reuters ^ | November 29, 2004 | By Evelyn Leopold

[El Oviedo]

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - A high-level panel on reforming the United Nations (news - web sites) has proposed two models for enlarging the U.N. Security Council, according to a major report obtained by Reuters on Monday.

After a decade of failed approaches, Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), who appointed the panel of 16 men and women, wants U.N. members to act on one of the two proposals in 2005.

The report, due to be released on Thursday, suggests increasing members of the council -- the most powerful U.N. body, whose decisions can be mandatory -- from 15 to 24 members.

Formed on the ruins of World War II, the council has five permanent members with veto power -- the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, considered the war victors in 1945. Another 10 countries now rotate for two-year terms.

But colonial empires have vanished since 1945; one-time enemies, Germany and Japan, are active members of the United Nations, and the broader U.N. membership is dominated by developing countries.

The new report said the council's decision-making process had to be "more representative of the broader membership, especially of the developing world."

The report criticized the five permanent members for modest financial and military contributions compared to their special status. At the same time, it said the council was the body in the United Nations "most capable of organizing action and capable of responding rapidly to new threats.

[El Oviedo]

Whichever plan they select, will cause the UN to be more inffective. If they can't even act when they are 15, what more if that number is increased..

This is just another floy to keep Kofi Annan his job.

What do you think?

[Cobra64]

I'm with you on that thought. The criminal is realizing that the gravy train is going to end soon. Ergo, he's proposing this? Seems to me that this is very transparent.

Anyone watching from the White House?

From me: "Please Mr. President, Please issue an Executive Order and tell these crooked dictators to evacuate the UN building within 60 days."

Part two, "Please Mr. President, get the Army Corps of Engineers to implode that rat-infested POS.