The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday (26th) mandating five permanent members of the Security Council to justify a veto appeal, a reform that was resumed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The measure, which directly affected the five countries with veto power, China, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and Russia, was encouraged by Liechtenstein to “make them pay a higher political price” when they decided to use the law. veto, he said. a diplomatic source requesting anonymity.
But critics of the initiative say it’s a “simple procedural reform”. Will it help the five permanent members of the Council make less use of this privilege that more and more countries are objecting to?
Only the future can tell.
Some countries may pressure the United States to justify its veto on Israeli-related initiatives. On the other hand, Washington may vote in the Security Council on a draft resolution strengthening sanctions against North Korea, which has been discussed for several weeks, despite knowing that both Moscow and Beijing will veto it.
The text proposed by Liechtenstein was sponsored by nearly 100 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and France, as well as European Union member states.
Neither Russia nor China signed the text. “This will further divide the UN,” said a Russian diplomat, who asked not to be named, ahead of the adoption.
Christian Wenaweser, the ambassador to Liechtenstein, argues that the project is “not against anyone”. “It’s not aimed at Russia,” he insists, even though the proposed vote, after more than two years of unsuccessful rule, coincided with the Security Council’s decision to halt the Russian invasion because of Moscow’s veto power. international mobilization
In addition to its five permanent members, the Security Council also has ten members elected for a two-year term without veto power.
Among the sponsors of the resolution are Ukraine, Japan and Germany, as well as two countries that more faithfully represent the current world, seeking a permanent seat in the eventual enlarged Security Council. However, Brazil, which reminded that a veto can be useful to guarantee peace, and India, which sought a permanent position in the Council, did not sponsor it.
Since the Soviet Union first used its veto power over a dispute between Syria and Lebanon in 1946, Moscow has used the measure 143 times, ahead of the United States (86), the United Kingdom (30), and China and France (18 times). . each one).
source: Noticias
