| Statement
Mr. President, As reform of the United Nations is accorded a priority on the agenda of the forthcoming General Assembly’s High-level Plenary Meeting in September 2005, it is regrettable that the preparations for such a historic event faces the prospect of being derailed by the controversy over Security Council reform, especially the expansion of its membership. In this regard, Indonesia would like to reiterate its commitment and support for a comprehensive approach to UN reform. We agree that Security Council reform is important and long overdue. However, we wish to emphasize that there are many other facets of UN reforms that are by the same token critical and need our equal attention. From a procedural standpoint, Indonesia is of the view that a Ia carte approach that is being undertaken to reach a decision regarding the expansion of the Security Council membership is clearly unwarranted. It is inconsistent with the consensus to engage in a comprehensive discussion on UN reform that member states have agreed to undertake from the beginning of the informal consultations in May. Hence, this approach would undermine the basic objective of a comprehensive UN reform. We would also like to express our concern that this hasty approach will distract and sideline the attention of our leaders in September 2005 from discussing important and pressing issues of interest and concern to an overwhelming majority of member states. Mr. President, In the draft resolution proposed by the G-4, the allocation of additional seats for each region is merely based on “geographical distribution” whereby each region is allocated a certain number of seats. Consequently the formulation proposed adds up to 6 new permanent and 4 new non-permanent members. This geographical approach, in our view, runs the risk of over¬representation of some regions and under-representation for others. Although, the draft resolution before us does not point out any country in particular, it is obvious that developing countries have diminished opportunities to be represented proportionally. As such, there is a danger of creating an inequitable UN Security Council. Moreover, there is no indication that the criteria for an expanded membership are either specific or appropriate. In this regard, since the initiation of deliberations on UN Security Council reform more than a decade ago, Indonesia has always maintained that establishing a clear and objective criteria is important when determining candidacies for its membership. In line with the role and authority of the Council, Indonesia would like to emphasize that such criteria to determine expanded membership should include, among others, a country’s contribution to peacemaking and peacekeeping as well as a role in regional peace and stability. To this, we must add commitment to cooperation for peace and security in the world that would encompass supporting efforts for non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the NPT and combating terrorism. Furthermore, a country’s attributes in demographic terms and its strong commitment to democracy and human rights merits consideration. We must also acknowledge that the concept of peace and security has evolved, and recognize important elements of cultures and civilizations. In fact, this concept is being approached and evaluated from the perspective of a potential clash of civilizations. These immutable factors can no longer be ignored. It is, therefore, clear that without an agreement that would take into account these undeniable realities, any formulation to determine new members of the Security Council that is merely based on allocation of geographical distribution would only lead to an inequitable Security Council. Thus, it has the potential to create an unacceptable imbalance in representation, especially from the perspectives of cultures and civilizations. In this context, we wish to stress what is already widely known: Asia consists of 56 countries in the world and more than fifty percent of the world’s population inhabit this region. Equally important, it is home to a variety of cultures and civilizations, including Islamic civilization. Unfortunately, the current trend is
towards under-representation for Asia. For this reason, any decision
on the expansion of Security Council membership will be inappropriate
if the realities prevailing in Indonesia wishes to emphasize that Security Council expansion must be based on a consensus and on an appropriate criteria to determine new membership. Otherwise, the process will solely be determined on the basis of geographical allocation and mathematical calculations that will jeopardize the democratic and just principles that the UN seeks to uphold. In conclusion Mr. President, Indonesia hopes that the issue of Security Council expansion will be undertaken in a manner that will not create divisiveness in the UN as it will not bring any advantage to anyone member state or group of states. My delegation remains hopeful that it would be possible to reach compromise among the various proposals that have been submitted before our leaders meet in September 2005. Thank you, Mr. President.
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