SECURITY COUNCIL NEEDS MAJOR OVERHAUL, SAYS M'SIAN REPRESENTATIVE

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia believes that the Security Council (SC) needs a major overhaul, both in its working methods, as well as on the issue of expansion of its membership. "More importantly Malaysia would want to see an end of the veto power among members of the SC, as this is undemocratic," said Malaysian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Hussein Haniff. He said, until such time, Malaysia would continue to urge the Permanent Members of the Council, which in their exercise of the veto, to ensure that this action be regulated to prohibit it from being used unjustly against the interest of the majority of United Nation (UN) member states. Hussein said this at the Plenary Meeting on 'Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in The Membership of the SC and Related Matters in New York, on Wednesday. His statement was issued here, Thursday. In his statement, Hussein said, Malaysia was also amicable to the concept of permanent regional representation in the absence of clear and undisputed candidates for future permanents seats allocated to certain regions. To determine the optimum size for a reformed and enlarged SC, matters such as the number of the UN member states and the corresponding number of the membership of the Council then and now should be looked into, he said. "This is not just simple mathematics, but the number will reflect the ability of the SC today to represent the interest of all member-states in ensuring international peace and security," he said. In another statement at the 'Open Debate of the SC on Protection Of Civilian in Armed Conflict', the envoy said the responsibility to protect civilians lies with the host government of peacekeeping missions. "My delegation also wish to stress the importance of impartiality as a guiding principle for UN peacekeepers mandated to protect civilians," he said. He also took the opportunity to inform the meeting of the killing of a Malaysian journalist while reporting on a humanitarian aid mission in Somalia recently. In this connection, he said, the Council should explore the possibility of strengthening provisions to ensure the safety of journalists and media professionals, within the framework of protection of civilians in armed conflict areas. -- BERNAMA