Permanent seats in Council will not enhance UNSC's effectiveness: Maleeha

Permanent seats in Council will not enhance UNSC's effectiveness: Maleeha

Pakistan's permanent Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi has said more permanent seats in the Council will not enhance its effectiveness.

Talking part in the interactive session of the Intergovernmental Negotiations in the United Nations aimed at making the Security Council more effective, she said responsibility for the deadlock over restructuring the UN Security Council for over 10 years lies with the countries who have not budged from their inflexible positions.

Maleeha Lodhi said Italy and Pakistan-led Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group in the UN Security Council has always been willing to look for common ground, revise our original proposal and to show flexibility.

As a compromise, the UfC group has proposed a new category of members -- not permanent members -- with longer duration in terms and a possibility to get re-elected once.

Dealing with the Group of Four proposal for additional permanent members, the Pakistan envoy wondered how it would enhance the Security Council's accountability.

Ambassador Lodhi urged the co-chairs of the Inter-governmental Negotiations to help build on and enlarge the range of convergences of the conflicting positions taken by different groups.APP/AFP