Indonesia said the United Nations was in dire need of restructuring while none of the members of its Security Council (UNSC) should have veto rights. Speaking at a function marking the 50th anniversary of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)'s youth wing in Jakarta, Vice-President Hamzah Haz said the veto right held by a select number of UNSC members gave them dictator-like powers that could not be tolerated. "Therefore, the UN should be restructured as soon as possible. None of its members should have veto rights because it only legitimizes dictatorial ways. There must be the courage to abolish it," he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency on Wednesday. The veto right is held by the UNSC's five permanent members, namely the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and France. A restructurization (sic) of the world body has become more relevant since the United States and its allies took unilateral military action against Iraq, Hamzah said. He noted that whereas most nations in the world were urging the UN to stop the military aggression against Iraq by the U.S. and its allies, the U.S. was already talking about post-war Iraq. "It seems that to the U.S., the war in Iraq is already over with victory in its hands and itself leading efforts to rebuild the damaged nation that has suffered through the war," he said.
That kinda sums it up, I guess. The UN didn't back us, we did it anyway, we'll clean up the mess. We're now paying the costs, we'll reap the benefits. Hamzah Haz, Indonesia, and the UN can all go whistle. |