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UK/French bid to reform UN
EFL of the EFL Janes version
Both Britain and France agree that, while the UN is clearly in need of reform, many of the old reform proposals have little chance of working and have zero appeal for the USA. Take the structure of peacekeeping operations, which is bound to be exposed to ridicule yet again in the current mission in Liberia. It badly needs military expertise, money and political clout, but Washington is hardly likely to agree to any radical changes, so there is not much point in trying too hard.
typically Euro, "This has no chance of working, so lets make it a priority"
The same applies to the composition of the Security Council. Everyone agrees that this must be broadened to include today’s great powers rather than those who emerged victorious at the end of the Second World War. There is also a fair level of agreement that Germany and Japan should be included. Yet the chances of this happening, without inviting a flood of applications from other worthy candidates, is virtually nil. Further, the USA, which faced the French veto during the Iraq crisis, is hardly likely to relish the arrival of even more countries - such as India or Brazil - who may be even more difficult to persuade to vote in favour of US policies. So British and French diplomats are now turning the debate on its head and advocating other measures whose effect will be to avoid the old no-hope proposals but still push through meaningful reforms. The proposals include:
  • The creation of a disarmament body.
  • Militaries disbanded, civilian police forces with gunships.
  • The reform of the current human rights organisation through the amalgamation of the current Geneva-based Human Rights Commission, which has become a laughing stock since it was monopolised by countries whose respect for individual freedoms is zero.
    uuuh what ? did that just make sense ?
    None that I could find...
  • The creation of a new Economic and Social Security Council. This body, which again will absorb existing structures such as the current ECOSOC, is designed to deal with international economic and social crises such as poverty, mass migration and international disease. But it is also going to be a council where big countries currently not represented on the UN Security Council could be given a serious voice.
    A serious voice to promote there socialist ideologies and make the US taxpayer flip the bill

Posted by: Domingo 2003-08-15
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=17660