HUNGARY: Controversial plans to expand the UN Security Council should not be allowed to undermine a broader overhaul of the organisation, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, who is promoting the UN reform programme across Europe.
Speaking in Budapest after discussing the plans with his Hungarian counterpart, Mr Ahern said there were many "more important" elements to the package than bringing new permanent members into the Security Council, a move that appears to be opposed with growing vigour by the United States, China and Russia.
"It is true to say that no matter where you go in the world this is an issue of some conflict between states," Mr Ahern admitted, after Washington expressed reservations about enlarging the Security Council and Beijing criticised the idea as "immature". Moscow is also thought to be cool on a move that would reduce its UN clout.
The four main candidates for a Security Council seat - Japan, Germany, India and Brazil - dropped their demand for a veto yesterday, but it is unlikely to be enough to defuse a spat that could mire the entire reform programme in rows and recrimination.
Mr Ahern - who is one of five envoys selected by UN secretary general Kofi Annan to rally support for the reforms - said "the issue of Security Council reform should not derail commitments being reached . . . on issues that are more important to the people of this planet." Among those were "international development, the eradication of poverty and HIV/AIDS, defeating terrorism, making sure genocide doesn't occur."
Plans to tackle those issues should "not be diluted in the event of no agreement being reached on Security Council reform", Ireland's senior diplomat said, noting that that "some countries would want the status quo and some want change" to the make-up of the UN's inner sanctum. European Union member states were "coming very close" to a unified position on UN reform, Mr Ahern said, adding that they may reach a final agreement at next week's summit of the bloc's leaders.