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Howard seeks to demote France in UN
Edited
Prime Minister John Howard wants to reform the United Nations, saying the presence of France as a permanent member of the Security Council "distorts" the council. He wants Japan, a South American country and India to be represented on the Security Council. France was there only because it was a global power at the end of World War II, he said.
| And now it's not. And becoming less so... |
Asking France or any other permanent member of the Security Council to voluntarily surrender their seat was "a major undertaking", he conceded.
| It'll be fun to watch them oink and wiggle, though... |
His comments risk the ire of France before the first visit to Australia by President Jacques Chirac, who is due in the country in July.
| Want us to stitch up those ire wounds for you, John? |
France angered the war coalition nations with its strong opposition to a second UN resolution backing military action. Once the troops went into Iraq, President Chirac was a vocal opponent of the war. Mr Howard offered a compromise, which he said would make the UN more representative of the modern world — three levels of Security Council members, the permanent members, the rotating members and a new group of permanent members that had no veto. It would be "a far better expression of world opinion", he said. Despite his criticism of the Security Council, Mr Howard said the UN had a complementary role to play in the reconstruction of Iraq. But the interim authority would be run by the US with help from Britain, Australia and others.
| Either that or just can the daggone thing as an idea whose time has gone. The League of United Nations has raised being ineffectual to new levels, at the same time it's presented an opportunity for relatives of Third World bigshots to find cushy jobs and take potshots at countries that actually work. It can be replaced by a network of alliances among genuine allies, along with an autonomous group of NGOs that can be funded based on performance. |
Also yesterday, Mr Howard attacked "armchair generals" who criticised the conduct of the war, while it had run largely according to plan. "Of all the doomsday scenarios that were predicted, not one of them has been realised," he said.
| That's Australian for "nyah nyah nyah!" |
Posted by: George 2003-04-14 |
