China against setting artificial time limit for UN Security Council reform

China said here Tuesday that it is against setting an artificial time limit for the Security Council reform or pushing through any solution over which UN member states still have serious disputes. Wang Min, Chinese deputy permanent representative to the UN, told a General Assembly plenary meeting on the reform of the Security Council that the reform involves the immediate interests of all member states of the UN and requires the in-depth participation by all member states and accommodation of the interests and concerns of all parties to reach the widest possible consensus through extensive and democratic consultations, he said. "As member states remain seriously divided over the core issues involving Security Council reform, they need to remain engaged in dialogue, negotiations and consultations," he said. "China is against setting an artificial time limit for the reform or pushing through any solution over which Member States still have serious disputes. Gamesmanship or playing on words will lead us nowhere," Wang said. As an important part of the reform of the United Nations, Security Council reform should give priority to increasing the representation of developing countries, those in Africa in particular, the ambassador said. The reform should offer more opportunities to more countries, particularly small- and medium-sized countries, to serve in the Security Council on a rotating basis to participate in its decision making process, he added. The 15-member Security Council has not changed since its creation following the Second World War. Five permanent members hold veto power -- China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and United States -- and 10 non-permanent members, with no veto, are elected for two-year terms. Some countries have argued that this structure does not represent the realities of today's world. The intergovernmental negotiations on Council reform have been taking place for 18 years and key issues under discussion are the category of membership, the question of veto, regional representation, the size of an enlarged Council, and the Council's working methods and its relationship with the General Assembly. Stressing that the reform should seek a package solution on these core issues, Wang said artificial isolation of the intrinsically linked five clusters of issues, or adoption of the " step-by-step" or "piecemeal" approach would not work. Calling the intergovernmental negotiations "a main channel for pursuing Security Council reform," Wang said the recent development has shown that "any acts that may undermine the intergovernmental negotiations are detrimental to the process of Security Council reform and do not serve the common interests of member states." Meanwhile, China opposes any attempt to create separate tracks beyond the framework of the intergovernmental negotiations, he added. Wang said China supports the current session of the General Assembly in continuing the intergovernmental negotiations pursuant to General Assembly decision 62/557. "The intergovernmental negotiations should follow the principles of openness, inclusiveness, transparency, and being driven by member states, so as to seek a solution that advances the unity among member states, and serves the overall interests of member States and long-tern interests of the United Nations, " he said. President of the General Assembly Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser called on member states to make headway on the negotiations aimed at making the Security Council a more efficient, transparent, universal, and democratic body. He called on member states to adopt a "flexible and constructive" approach during the forthcoming round of negotiations, chaired by Ambassador Zahir Tanin of Afghanistan.