Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Germany Wastes No Time Calling for Security Council Reform

Canada's bid for a Security Council heap had barely hit the trash heap before the somewhat more successful Germans began calling for Security Council reform.  From Deutsche Welle:

 "It is not appropriate that two continents, like Africa and Latin America, do not have permanent seats on the UN Security Council. Asia, too, rightfully views itself as underrepresented," the German foreign minister [Guido Westerwelle] said.

"That is why any reform of the United Nations is not first and foremost about a permanent seat on the Security Council for us, but rather about a better reflection of global distribution of power," Westerwelle emphasized.

reform of the United Nations is a major issue on Germany's agenda. Westerwelle recently met counterparts from Japan, India and Brazil to discuss launching a reform campaign.

The so-called G-4 group has been calling for the addition of six permanent seats to the Council without the power of veto, and a further four non-permanent seats.

"Today's Security Council reflects the world's power architecture after World War II. It should reflect the power structure of today's world," Westerwelle said.

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