Directly targeting the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, the only holders of the veto, the measure was launched by Liechtenstein two and a half years ago, and relaunched by war In Ukraine.
Le Monde with AFP
A rare reform hailed by applause and which was relaunched by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Unsurprisingly, the Security Council had not succeeded in having its condemnation of the assault of Russia against Ukraine voted on February 25, the day after the Russian invasion: Moscow had put its veto. The United Nations General Assembly adopted, Tuesday, April 26, by consensus, a resolution obliging the five permanent members of the Security Council to justify their use of veto.
Directly targeting the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, the only holders of the veto, the measure launched by Liechtenstein aims to “charge them a higher political price” when They will use it, summarizes an ambassador of a country not having it and asking to keep anonymous. Will the reform push the five permanent members to be used less The veto provided by the Charter of the United Nations ? Or will it have an incentive effect to knowingly cause more unacceptable texts?
The future will say. Some countries could push the United States to use its veto on texts related to Israel. On the other hand, Washington could put the Security Council to the Security Council for a resolution project reinforcing sanctions against North Korea, in discussions for several weeks now, knowing full well that Moscow and Beijing will put their veto.
Advanced for the first time two and a half years ago, the reform provides for a convocation of the General Assembly “within ten working days following the opposition of one or more permanent members of the Security Council, to hold A debate on the situation in which the veto was expressed “.
Nearly a hundred countries had joined Liechtenstein to coparraine this text, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, as well as all the member countries of the European Union. Russia and China have not joined the sponsors of the text. He will “divide” even more the UN, had railed before adoption a Russian diplomat speaking under the cover of anonymity.
The text is not binding
The project “is not targeting anyone”, assured the Liechtenstein ambassador, Christian Wenaweser. “It is not directed against Russia,” he insists while voting after more than two years of unsuccessful gestation coincides with the paralysis of the Security Council to have the Russian invasion arrested, due to the right veto from Moscow.
For the United States, Russia abuses its right of veto for two decades and the adopted text must make it possible to remedy it. Since the first veto never used (by the Soviet Union in 1946 on the Syrian and Lebanese file), Russia has used there 143 times, far ahead of the United States (86 times), the United Kingdom (30 times), China and France (18 times each).
The resolution wants to “promote the role of the United Nations, multilateralism and the voice of all of us who do not hold a veto right and do not sit on the Security Council on international peace and security issues” argues Christian Wenaweser.
The text is not binding and nothing prevents a country that used its veto not to come and explain it before the General Assembly. Its application, with immediate effect, “will throw the light” on the use of this right and on the “blockages” of the Security Council, however argues an ambassador asking not to be identified. In addition to its five permanent members, the Security Council also has ten members elected for two years, without veto right.
Among the resolution copies are, in addition to Ukraine, Japan and Germany, two states aspiring to a permanent member status in a possible enlarged security council – an expansion in the deadlock for years – To better represent the current world. But neither Brazil, which recalled Tuesday that the veto can be useful to guarantee peace, or India, other potential applicants to a permanent position in the council, were in the list of chiparrains obtained by the agency France- Press.