Ashe's
UNSC Reform
Group of 6
Slammed by
Italy for UfC,
Bahrain for
Arab Group
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow up on
exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 31 --
The new UN
Security
Council reform
advisory
group
picked by
General
Assembly
President John
Ashe, on
which Inner
City Press exclusively
reported a
week ago,
has now been
criticized
in writing by
Italy's
Mission to the
UN, on behalf
of the Uniting
for
Consensus
grouping.
Bahrain
has also
chimed in, for
the Arab Group,
here.
Inner City
Press is publishing
the UfC
letter,
here.
The
advisory group
of six has
three European
countries --
Belgium,
Liechtenstein
and San Marino
-- as well as
Papua New
Guinea, Sierra
Leone and G4
member Brazil.
At the
Security
Council's
"Working
Methods"
session this
week, Brazil
and Germany
both said the
group would
come up with a
text to be the
basis of
inter-governmental
negotiations.
Click
here for
Inner City
Press report.
This made UfC
and other
member states
more angry.
The
UfC letter,
signed by
Italian
ambassador
Sebastiano
Cardi,
concludes
that "it is
important that
the entire
membership has
the
opportunity to
review and
agree on the
composition
and terms of
reference of
the group." It
asserts that
Ashe's naming
of the
group violated
"Decision
62/557, as
well as
subsequent
decisions
of the General
Assembly."
After
Inner City
Press'
first
exclusive
article, Ashe's
spokesperson
Afaf Konja
explained
to the Press
that his
initial letter
hadn't gone
onto the UN's
website until
Inner
City Press
published it
due to an
oversight; she
insisted that
Uniting for
Consensus had
been consulted
with. She
wrote:
"On
the letter not
being up
immediately on
the PGA
website: As
openly
disclosed, it
was a pure
administrative
lapse which
has already
been
addressed to
ensure a more
streamlined
and full-proof
process.
"On
the criticism
you refer to
as 'Euro-top
heavy': As
explained, the
selection is
not based on
geographic
criteria. It
weighs more on
the
experience of
nations in
peace-building,
and an
openness to
see
beyond
differences.
Essentially,
an advisory
group that can
help see
the process
forward.
"Please
note
that the
President of
the General
Assembly met
with the UFC
group, at
their request.
They expressed
their concerns
and they were
heard.
Moreover, the
advisory group
chosen is not
a negotiated
group."
But
now, this
letter. And
Bahrain's for
the Arab Group,
saying the
Advisory Group
can't replace
the process.
Watch this
site.
, 
