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PGA
Ashe's Group
of Six Should
Not Draft,
China Says,
UNSC Reform
Spat
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow up on
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 6 --
With
the UN General
Assembly set
for a session
on Security
Council
reform,
after GA
President John
Ashe named a
Group of Six
advisers,
now China
has also
chimed in with
questions
about the
selection
process.
Inner
City Press has
obtained
and is
publishing,
here, China's
Permanent
Representative
Liu
Jieyi's
letter
to President
Ashe, which
among other
things states
"With
reference to
your letter
dated 22
October 2013,
by which you
established an
Advisory Group
on Security
Council reform,
I would
like to make
the following
observations:
the reform of
Security
Council bears
on the
interests of
all 193 Member
States and the
long-term
interests of
the United
Nations. Full
transparency,
inclusiveness
and
predictability
are essential
in order to
build
confidence
among Member
States...
Based on our
discussions,it
is our
understanding
that the
Advisory Group
will serve as
an informal
personal
advisory body
to you without
any
negotiating or
drafting
role."
That's
not what
Germany and
Brazil said
about the
Advisory
Group, in the
Security
Council's
recent open
debate of
Working
Methods.
Inner
City Press observed
the Group of
Six going into
the PGA's
office on
Tuesday
morning;
they
reportedly met
again Wednesday
at 1 pm. What
is their role?
What do they think
it is?
Inner
City Press
understands
that on Tuesday
PGA Ashe met
with the (also
unhappy)
Eastern
European
group, as well
as Wednesday
with United
for
Consensus, on
whose behalf
Italy is set
to speak on
November 7.
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.
* * *
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reports
are
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News and on Lexis-Nexis.
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