Security Council should undergo fundamental changes: Iranian diplomat

TEHRAN, Nov. 12 (MNA) – The UN Security Council is not responsive to the needs and concerns of today's world and should be restructured, an Iranian diplomat said. There is a consensus among UN member states that the Security Council was established to address the concerns of the international community about the realities of the 1940s and is not responsive to the current concerns of the world, Mohammad Khazaii, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, told a meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. Hence, the methods, policies, and makeup of the council should be modified, Khazaii said, adding that the reformation of the council is a matter of necessity which will definitely benefit the global community. He said that impartiality, transparency, accountability, and fairness are the basic principles that the council should observe. He added the Security Council should put the priorities of the UN Charter on the agenda in order to increase its transparency and modify its policies. As stipulated by the UN Charter, the council as the representative of all UN member states should reflect the views of the states, but in many cases the council does not even reflect the real views of its members, he said. He also called the Security Council not to interfere in the process of making laws and said according to the UN Charter, the General Assembly is the main policymaking organ of the UN and is tasked with the codification of the international laws. The Iranian diplomat also said the right of veto in the council is a great source of worry to the most UN member states and said the right is a “non-democratic tool,” preventing the council from properly dealing with the issues that are referred to it. “Most countries demand the elimination of veto power,” he added.