UfC make a official response to the UK and USA joint statement regarding SC reform

The delegates of United Kingdom and United States of America made an official statement this sunday, where they expressed disappointment about not being included enough in the negotiation process. First group of countries that recognized themselves in this statement was G4 and African group, who made official response yesterday. Second group that was really involved in the process of creating potential draft resolution was Uniting for Consensus group, however they did not respond to the statement till last night when our editorial received their answer.

In their official response they emphasized that their intention was not to exclude other countries from process of creating working paper, but to establish and consolidate their own common position first. They explained that their fair and open intentions can be noticed since they 'immediately invited all distinguished representatives of permanent members of the Security Council to discuss our working paper, after it was accepted.'

Uniting for Consensus group explained further that they already included some of the previously discussed positions in the current working paper. "We did not strictly follow our initial positions, but adapted our new proposal to the suggestions of other states," they wanted to make it clear.

In the second part, they wanted to make sure that other delegations understand their readiness for cooperation and compromise. Since they are the only group that does not support the idea of new permanent members, they introduced a new category of long-term non-permanent members of Security Council. According to UfC this shows their clear intentions to reach a compromise.

Lastly, they wanted to express regret because some of the countries are not sharing such flexibility of positions and are not as open to negotiations as they are. However, UfC did not want to mention to any names of these countries. They share the position of P5 group that any reform should be adopted with consensus. In this light, it looks like that Security Council is still far from being accepted because some countries are not willing to modify their positions and some of them will only accept the proposals with total support in the General Assembly.

Luka Kavčič

Bellow  you can read the whole official response by UfC:

OFFICIAL RESPONSE OF THE UNITING FOR CONSENSUS GROUP TO THE US AND UK STATEMENT ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM NEGOTIATIONS

Uniting for Consensus group would like to respond to the statement made by the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland regarding the negotiations on the Security Council reform. 

We definitely did not try to exclude permanent members of the Security Council from negotiations. Our purpose was to firstly form our official position and turn it into working paper. After our working paper was accepted, we immediately invited all distinguished representatives of permanent members of the Security Council to discuss our working paper. Furthermore, some of the positions were already previously included in the document. We have shown our flexibility again - we did not strictly follow our initial positions, but adapted our new proposal to the suggestions of other states. Our official position is well known, we are the only group that is opposing any expansion of permanent membership, and group that supports adding new non-permanent members with two-year mandate. With introduction of new category of long-term seats (five-year mandate with possibility of one immediate reelection) we wanted to make a compromise with all those states, who want to increase number of permanent seats in order to gain more influence and make the Security Council more representative. We are very disappointed that some states are not prepared to negotiate or change their positions. Last but not least, we believe a legitimate reform should be adopted with consensus. A reform, which will be adopted by less than consensus, is not an appropriate reform. Uniting for Consensus is calling for a consensus before any decision is reached on the form and size of the Security Council.

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G4 and African group respond to joint statement of UK and USA

Two days ago we published joint statement made by United Kingdom and USA, that can be found here. They publicly shared a disappointment because they claimed that they were not included in the negotiation process regarding Security Council reform. We later found out and reported that there were two major working groups that were preparing working paper, Uniting for Consensus and G4+African group. Each of them have different ambitions and plans for the outcome of thursday's GA session, however only the latter commented the statement of United Kingdom and USA and recognized the importance not to ignore their position. They are completely aware that Security Council reform needs strong cooperation and broadest support possible.


G4 and African group explained that they wanted to 'coordinate and establish common position' before creating a draft working paper and talking to other delegations. It looks like that African countries are very committed to achieve greater representation in the Security Council and they are aware that only complete consensus inside the group can bring them success. G4 group is another group that knows the importance of close cooperation since India and Germany are supporting each other's ambitions for permanent seat. After the draft working paper was created, they contacted the delegates of UK and USA in order to collect standings from P5 group.

"Certain positions and suggestions were considered and incorporated even before," they continued and explained that they did not ignore the common position of P5 group. For example, in a working paper they did not include the demand to abolish a veto. They concluded the statement by recognition of accepting large cooperation while negotiating in General Assembly. It seems that they are sticking to this since their representatives were seen on the meeting with Uniting for Consensus and P5 delegates today. We will report what was the outcome of this meeting soon.

Luka Kavčič

Bellow you can read official respond to UK and USA statement:

OFFICIAL RESPONSE OF THE AFRICAN-G4 GROUP TO THE STATEMENT ON SECURITY COUNCIL REFORM NEGOTIATIONS

Group of African states and the G4 would like to respond to the statement of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America published in the UN Herald.

We would like to stress that our group decided to first coordinate and establish a common position on the Security Council reform and form it into a draft working paper. As soon as our draft document was prepared we contacted the UK and USA and sent them our document in order to hear their opinion and discuss the comments provided by respective Representatives.

Furthermore, certain positions and suggestions of the permanent member states were considered and incorporated in our proposal even before, while African and G4 states were preparing the draft on the Security Council reform, when the group of African states already made concessions and eliminated its demand for the abolition of veto.

We strongly believe that in order to retain Security Council’s accountability, efficiency and legitimacy and in order to reflect the nowadays reality of the international community, it needs to be reformed. However, such reform requires strong cooperation and the broadest support possible and this is why African and G4 states approached variety of member states and proposed a meeting with the permanent members of the Security Council.

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USA: "We will support the reform that will reach consensus."

Yesterday, our editorial received another statement by permanent representative of United States of America, Ms. Urška Učakar. We already reported about joint statement made by delegations of UK and USA this week, in which they expressed some regret and disappointment due to non-inclusiveness in the negotiation process. In a statement that you can read bellow, Ms. Učakar explains their position on Security Council reform in more detail. They pointed out that they will support expansion of membership that will enjoy consensus and will vote for changes of working methods, which will improve Council’s effectiveness, transparency and accountability.

"We would like to emphasize that a quick and irrational decision might do more harm than good," is written in the first paragraph of media statement. USA thinks that any reform of Security Council should enjoy consensus, otherwise it will not reach desired goals of transparency, efficiency and fair representation. "USA will support an expansion of membership, but this has to be country specific and proportional amongst regions," is she explaining further. According to her, candidates for new permanent seat must have ability to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security.

"Countries that might become permanent members must have a history of political stability, deployable military and civilian capabilities together with the willingness to use them with UNSC resolutions, a track record on UN financial contributions, a firm stand on the usage of the Chapter VII. of the UN Charter, ability to cooperate diplomatically and a record of participation in global security regimes and solutions."

She repeated once again, that USA will not accept any change of current veto structure, because this can lead to inefficient Council. "United States strongly support changes in the working methods, which will improve Council’s effectiveness, transparency and accountability," she comments the propositions about reforming the working methods. In the last part of the statement, she concludes that their delegation is ready to talk further with other states, because the consensus on SC reform has not been reached yet.

Luka Kavčič

Bellow you can read the original version of statement:

United States of America remain committed to the United Nations and are therefore certain that a reform of the Security Council is needed. However, due to several obstacles in the negotiation process, we would like to emphasize that a quick and irrational decision might do more harm than good. Despite our commitment to a Council that is more transparent, efficient and representative, we are convinced that this reform must enjoy consensus and support among Member States.

United States of America support a modest reform in membership and changes in the cooperation between the Council and the General Assembly. USA will therefore support an expansion of membership, but this has to be country specific and proportional amongst regions.

Enlargement cannot diminish Council’s effectiveness. Candidates for permanent membership must be judged on their ability to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security. Any expansion proposals must accommodate charter requirements for ratification and must name specific countries. USA will not support any kind of modification of the veto structure or a proposal that includes veto powers for any new member.

Our most important policy objective is to prevent an inefficient council, which can be done through a modest expansion and membership of reliable States. Countries that might become permanent members must have a history of political stability, deployable military and civilian capabilities together with the willingness to use them with UNSC resolutions, a track record on UN financial contributions, a firm stand on the usage of the Chapter VII. of the UN Charter, ability to cooperate diplomatically and a record of participation in global security regimes and solutions. We must keep in mind that the final idea of this reform is to improve the Council and this can only be done through inclusive negotiations, taking into account opinions of all States, their perspectives and concerns and last but not least, contribution of each candidate to the international peace and security.

United States strongly support changes in the working methods, which will improve Council’s effectiveness, transparency and accountability. The annual report of the Security Council provides all Member States with a transparent and comprehensive review of its work. USA aspires to facilitate the exchange of information and enhancement of cooperation between the two co-equal principal organs of the UN. In order to achieve this, USA proposes a different reporting procedure, where General Assembly would receive more than only one annual report.

Given the fact that no proposal has so far enjoyed consensus among all the Members, we are ready to further discuss the matter in order to eventually reach an agreement. We feel bound to continue the work on UN goals, values and missions. We are committed to the organization and take seriously the importance of making sure that all Member States are appropriately involved and informed. 

Urška Učakar

Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations

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USA and UK disappointed after not being included in the negotiation process on SC reform

The editorial of UN Herald received joint statement made and sent by the permanent representatives of United Kingdom and United States of America to the United Nations yesterday. Ms. Iva Petković and Ms. Urška Učakar expressed observations, praises and some complaints about the ongoing negotiation process between states' representations regarding the SC reform. In the last part of statement they shared their own position about the adoption of any potential draft resolution that might be written in these days. They made it clear that they will support only such resolutions that are predicting efficient and effective Security Council.

The delegations of UK and USA are very pleased with all the effort and time that some states are investing in finding the acceptable solution for new Security Council reform. According to UK and USA Security Council reform is a topic of great importance and is needed. Assuming that two of the current permanent members and other countries are recognizing the need for reform and are expressing will to discuss this topic, we can only expect that SC reform will move from the dead-point in which it is stuck from previous negotiations.

However, in joint statement there are some other very important ideas that UK and USA wanted to express. First is that they were disappointed about not being included in the negotiation process and construction of working papers or draft resolution. As we reported African Union and G4 are preparing working paper and also Uniting for Consensus is very active on this field. Nevertheless, according to the statement they were not approached by those countries during the negotiations. Today, we discovered that African Union group have sent the working paper to UK and USA, who had submitted their comments on it. We also found out that delegations of African Union countries have already invited UK delegate to a meeting that will take place next week. We can hope that cooperation and communication between the P5 and other states is improving.

Second idea expressed by USA and UK can be understood as a warning, because it is sending clear signal that some states should not make plans without discussing to current P5 countries. "A strategy that leaves out members of P5 is perilous, because it will be particularly hard to coordinate some opposing and diverging positions in the short space of time before the actual debate," was pointed out in the statement. UK and USA delegations go on saying that: "We will not be supporting any proposal for Security Council reform simply because it enjoys the most support in the General Assembly or is preferable to all other proposals." In their opinion, SC reform is one of the most delicate and risky project that has be dealt with a lot of patience and prudence. "Its efficiency and effectiveness must be at the forefront of all proposals," they concluded.

Luka Kavčič

Bellow you can  read whole joint statement:

Joint Statement by the Delegations of the

United States of America and

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and United States of America wish to express their joint recognition for the need to reform the Security Council, as well as their support for efforts of some State representatives in finding a viable solution.

The two Governments would however also like to express their disappointment that the coalitions developing working papers did not include UK and USA in the negotiation process that has been unfolding for the past weeks. We are very pleased the African Union States sent us their working paper, which is still in draft form and we have submitted our comments.

A strategy that leaves out members of P5 is perilous, because it will be particularly hard to coordinate some opposing and diverging positions in the short space of time before the actual debate. We hope that in the next few days, the UK and USA delegations, and other P5 delegations will not only be kept informed of the development of negotiations and working papers, but continuously consulted on any and all changes to working papers. This is particularly essential for those groups of States that have not approached us with their ideas and we have consequentially only speculated what their plans may be. We also expect State representatives to take into account our concerns and find ways of incorporating our suggestions into their proposals.

The Governments of USA and UK have come to an agreement that we will not be supporting any proposal for Security Council reform simply because it enjoys the most support in the General Assembly or is preferable to all other proposals. The reform of the Security Council, although necessary, is one of the most delicate, but also risky projects to be undertaken by the international community. Since the Security Council is the principal organ in the UN system charged with addressing threats to international peace and security, its efficiency and effectiveness must be at the forefront of all proposals. The PR teams of the two delegations have made it clear that Security Council reform is not about compromise, but inspired ideas.

Last, but not least, the two delegations would like to emphasize our commitment to the P5 statement on the veto structure. The delegation of the UK has pointed out on numerous occasions to some delegations, such as South Africa, who is one of our closest partners, that we would be willing to consider extending veto to new permanent members, if a pragmatic intermediate solution would included in the proposal, whereby a new category of seats with a longer mandate would be established and accepted as permanent seats after the completion of this intermediate period and a review process. Since it has been made clear to delegation of the UK that despite growing support for this idea in the UN over the past 3 years, it would not be incorporated into a proposal, the UK delegation will continue to support the current veto structure.   

Iva Petković

Permanent Representative of United Kingdom to the United Nations

Urška Učakar

Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations

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USA on persecution of minorities in Iran

This morning our editorial received the following message from the delegate of USA, Ms Urška Učakar:

UNITED STATES ON PERSECUTION OF MINORITIES IN IRAN

United States of America remain deeply concerned by the persecution of Iranian citizens at the hand of their government. It has been made clear to the world that Iran denies its citizens the same fundamental rights it continues to applaud elsewhere in the Middle East.

Security forces have beaten, detained, and - in at least three cases - killed peaceful protesters. Off the streets, the regime’s leaders have targeted human rights defenders and political activists, and authorities have recently rounded-up ex-government officials and their families; former members of parliament; clerics and their children; student leaders and their professors; as well as journalists and bloggers. They also continue to deny their citizens access to information by jamming satellite transmissions and blocking Internet sites.

Iran’s leaders also continue to persecute ethnic and religious minorities. We are troubled by reports that, of the dozens of prisoners executed in 2011 and 2012, most are ethnic minorities. At the same time, Baha’is, Kurds, ethnic Arabs and other religious minorities continue to be subjected to arbitrary arrests and prosecutions, harsh sentences, and unsafe prison conditions. We call on Iran to free all political prisoners and persecuted minorities.

The regime has banned the Azeri language in schools, harassed Azeri activists and unjustly jailed Azeris like Mr. Lisani for advocating for cultural and linguistic rights. Iranian Azeris who organized peaceful protests after the publication of an offensive cartoon in May 2006 were beaten, harassed and arrested. Iran does not have any respect for ethnic, cultural or linguistic identities of minorities.

Furthermore, their repression of religious minorities goes against our global human rights regime. We were dismayed over reports that the Iranian courts required Youcef Nadarkhani to recant his Christian faith or face the death penalty for apostasy – a charge based on his religious beliefs. And this is only one case of these horrific actions against Christians. He was later found guilty of evangelism and released in January 2013. United States will not give praise to the Iranian government for releasing this innocent man. We will not give thanks or support. We strongly deplore these actions and call upon the government of Iran to immediately stop with actions that contribute to provoke hatred among religious and ethnic communities.

He is just one of thousands who face persecution for their religious beliefs in Iran, including the seven leaders of the Baha’i community whose imprisonment was increased to 20 years for practicing their faith and hundreds of Sufis who have been flogged in public because of their beliefs. While Iran’s leaders hypocritically claim to promote tolerance, they continue to detain, imprison, harass, and abuse those who simply wish to worship the faith of their choosing.

The world will continue to watch and will hold accountable those responsible for these actions. The United States joins the international community in affirming the universal rights to which all men and women - in Iran and around the world - are entitled.

Urška Učakar

Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations

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Steps toward a new beginning - USA and Cuba

The representative of the USA, Ms Urška Učakar and the delegate of the Cuba, Ms Mojca Ferme pleasantly surprised our editorial today with the official written statements where they showed the will to turn a new page in USA-Cuban relationship. 

Tense relations between USA and Cuba lasts since Cold War. The root cause was of ideological nature - USA wanted the Cuban government to move toward democratization and respect for human rights, while on the other hand Havana with the rule of Communist regime had a very close relationship with Moscow. President of the USA Kennedy and his administration were deeply concerned about such close relations and Cuban regime. Therefore the United States has in 1962 imposed an economic embargo against Cuba. 

Fifty years later, the embargo has not achieved the most important goal - to overthrow the Communist regime which continues to control Cuba, while most vulnerable residents pay the highest price. Moreover Cuban government said that embargo costed the state over 700 billion euros. 

In November 2012 United nations General Assembly voted with the vast majority to condemn the USA embargo against Cuba - 186 UN member states opposed to sanctions and assessed as unnecessary, while only USA, Israel and Palau were against the resolution.

Step forward was made in 2011, when US President Barack Obama used his executive powers and lifted some restrictions, such as travel restrictions for educational and cultural groups. As 1.5 million members of the Cuban diaspora live in the USA, Obama has allowed them to send remittances to Cuba.

After five decades, in July 2012, the Cuba has received first shipment of humanitarian aid, which has arrived from Miami. This action has been positively accepted by the Cuban community in Florida, but there was no response from the government. 

Each relationship has its limits  so does USA- Cuban. US contractor Alan Gross was arrested in Cuba in 2009 for distributing laptops and communication equipment to members of Cuba's small Jewish community. Ms. Učakar was very clear in her letter regarding the case of Mr. Gross and USA-Cuban relations. Her statement was conditionally made - meaning if Cuba release Ms. Gross USA will be prepared to negotiate on lifting the embargo. 

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is making the effort to solve the case of Mr. Gross. Even though the Working Group has no enforcement powers, the ruling could put pressure on the Cuban government in order to release Mr. Gross. In December 2012 the report of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has been released.

Below you can read the official statements of both states:

USA

"As Obama administration has already announced in 2008, United States of America are certain that a series of changes in U.S. policy to reach out to the Cuban people can help support their desire to freely determine their country’s future. In taking these steps to help bridge the gap among divided Cuban families and promote the freer flow of information and humanitarian items to the Cuban people, President Obama is working to fulfill the goals he identified both during his presidential campaign and since taking office. This administration has done its best to lift all restrictions on transactions related to the travel of family members, improve communication infrastructure and enable flow of humanitarian items.

United States of America fully support decisions of international bodies and we are committed to goals and principles of the international community. Therefore, we warmly welcome the decision of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which has decided that detention of Mr. Alan Phillip Gross is arbitrary. We urge Cuba to release Mr. Gross without any preconditions.

We remain committed to policies that support the welfare of the Cuban people, despite the arrest and continued detention of Alan Gross, a 63-year-old American citizen who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for facilitating Internet access for Cuba's small Jewish community. The United States again calls on Cuba to immediately release Mr. Gross.

The United States strongly supports the desire of the Cuban people to freely determine their own future. With other Member States, the United States determines its conduct of economic relationships with other countries in accordance with its national interests and principles. Our sanctions policy toward Cuba is just one of the tools in our overall effort to encourage respect for the human rights and basic freedoms to which the United Nations itself is committed.

Release of Mr. Gross and reconsideration of other similar detentions would be a sign that Cuba believes in human rights, equality and respect for every human being. In this respect, United States of America would be prepared to participate in negotiations on the annual resolution of the UN addressed Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.

Urška Učakar

Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations"

Cuba

"Cuba maintains a high level of cooperation and interaction with the procedures and mechanisms of the United Nations system in the area of human rights and has a positive dialogue with the bodies created by the international treaties on human rights. To demonstrate we are serious, we would like to show we fully respect Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Cuba has already, in the spirit of transparency and cooperation, provided to the Working Group extensive information on the Mr. Alan Philip Gross case to enable it to assess it objectively. Since Cuba has always expressed its willingness to establish a dialogue on every issue and with all States on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and the recognition of the right to self-determination, we are also willing to establish this kind of dialogue with the United States. We are open to a constructive and respectful dialogue, based on the truth. Therefore, we invite Obama administration to meet Cuba at the negotiating table to solve bilateral issues between the two states and to discuss the release of Mr. Alan Phillip Gross in exchange of starting the talks about the issue of embargo. It is time to start building better relations based on cooperation and respect."

***

References: 

ABCNews. 2012. UN Report Calls on Cuba to Release American. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=18162770&sid=81

AFP. 2013. Record vote for UN resolution against Cuba embargo. Available at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jQcE0-rilpTdqNTE-6xr0lP0DRaw?docId=CNG.169e2b06165bc926eb8e2209eb58d48b.f1

AlJazeera. 2012. Cuba receives first US shipment in 50 years. Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/07/20127147196482238.html

The Guardian. 2011. Barack Obama acts to ease US embargo on Cuba. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/15/barack-obama-us-embargo-cuba

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