Asserting that the UN must reform to reflect contemporary realities, veto-wielding permanent member France has voiced support for India in an expanded UN Security Council.
Permanent Representative of France to the UN, Francois Delattre said at a session of the General Assembly to commemorate the victims of World War II that 70 years after the creation of the UN, the world of 2015 no longer has much to do with that of 1945.
“The UN must adapt and reform to reflect the world we live in today. The reform of the Security Council is urgent and crucial in this regard.
“France supports an enlargement of the Council in both categories of membership, permanent and non-permanent and supports Germany, Japan, which deserves to be mentioned today, but also India, Brazil and African representation,” according to the English translation of the French ambassador’s remarks.
Apart from France, other permanent members – the US, Britain, and Russia – have also supported India’s candidature as a permanent member of a reformed Security Council, the most powerful organ of the UN.
India, the world’s largest democracy and a rising economic and world power, has said that it is a rightful claimant to a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, along with Japan, Germany and Brazil – the G4 group of nations.
Delattre said the international community’s ability to act in times of conflict and development is linked to the “legitimacy of our institutions”.
He said along with legitimacy, there is need also for credibility, adding that the credibility of the powerful UN organ will be questioned when it is powerless to stop mass crimes committed in Syria for the four years.
The French envoy recalled that in 1945, the nations had signed the UN Charter which said countries will work together to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights.
He added that the permanent members of the Security Council should refrain voluntarily and collectively from resorting to the veto in situations of mass crimes, crimes whose extent and severity such as in Syria are an “insult” to the victims of World War II.
Delattre expressed hope that that the 70th anniversary of the UN would provide a platform for nations to look into this issue.
