INDONESIA: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticise the UN Security Council and urge reforms at the international body during a democracy forum in Bali

Record ID: 217596

  • Title: INDONESIA: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticise the UN Security Council and urge reforms at the international body during a democracy forum in Bali
  • Date: 9th November 2012
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) AFGHAN PRESIDENT HAMID KARZAI, SAYING: "And I believe those big decision makers should think and are in the right circumstances to think of a changed approach to global governance." UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, NAVI PILLAY SPEAKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, NAVI PILLAY, SA
  • Embargoed: 24th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Indonesia
  • Country: Indonesia
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5UO05TCNGOETQ53DWMU4HAONB
  • Story Text: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Friday (November 9) urged reforms at the United Nations Security Council during a democracy forum held in Bali, Indonesia.
    The two leaders said the structure of having five permanent members with the right of veto undermines the Security Council's effectiveness and legitimacy.
    Russia and China - two of the five permanent members - have vetoed resolutions that sought to put concerted pressure on Syria to end the conflict and agree to a political transition.
    Erdogan said it was crucial for the U.N. to take action in Syria, where tens of thousands have been killed in the 19-month old uprising.

    "Right now in Syria violence is going on and that violence has been conducted by the head of the state. The violence still going on, monasteries and prayer rooms are being bombed and the United Nations still remains quiet. I wonder how much further we can go on without doing anything. Where are the permanent seat holders of the United Nations Security Council? When are they going to take the risks? Thirty-thousand people have been killed in Syria and about 300,000 refugees are outside of their countries, 2.5 million people's houses have been affected. When are we going to take a stand as human beings and extend a helping hand to the people of Syria? The same thing can be applied to Somalia and the same thing can be applied to Myanmar," Erdogan said.
    He added that the veto system makes it impossible for the U.N. to achieve a concrete outcome in resolving conflicts, citing as an example the Palestinian territories' quest for an upgrade of its U.N. status.
    The Palestinian Authority circulated a draft resolution to U.N. member states on Thursday (November 8) that calls for upgrading its U.N. status to that of an "observer state."
    The United States, another permanent member of the Security Council, says the move could undermine peace and security in the region.
    The 193-nation General Assembly could vote on the resolution later this month.

    "One hundred thirty countries right now recognise Palestine as a state and having said that, as of next year within the United Nations, these member states will see Palestine being represented as a recognised state. They are alerting the United Nations to their presence as of next year but then you look at the specific power of the United Nations stating that this is a very premature initiative and it needs to be postponed. I wonder, as 130 countries recognise Palestine and only one of the permanent seat holders of the United Nations Security council says no, if all the rest will follow that approach. Why are we postponing it just on the idea of just one permanent seat holder?" he said.
    Erdogan had said that he planned to visit the Gaza Strip soon, a move that would significantly enhance the legitimacy of the Hamas-controlled Gaza government.
    Afghanistan's Karzai also called the veto system "highly undemocratic", and added that other global institutions like the World Bank and the IMF should also undergo reform so that their goals benefit the international community and not just Western governments.

    "And I believe those big decision makers should think and are in the right circumstances to think of a changed approach to global governance," Karzai said.
    The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said there was a limit to what the global body can do.

    "In the case of Myanmar, the General Assembly had appointed a special Rapporteur to report on Myanmar, this has been going on for several years but they (the Myanmar government) have not allowed access to the Rapporteur into Myanmar," she said.
    She added that the Human Rights Council has repeatedly voted to condemn Syria's government for its handling of what began as a peaceful protest movement against the government and has escalated into civil war. However, China and Russia have consistently voted against its resolutions.

    "With regards to Syria it's been a bit more frustrating because there, lives have been lost on a daily basis, thousands killed, many more thousands displaced, huge violations of human rights which have been documented both by my office and the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Human Rights council," Pillay added.
    The two-day forum which started on Thursday (November 8) counts more than 1,200 participants, including 11 heads of state, 27 foreign ministers from 73 countries, and representatives from international organizations.
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