September 21, 1999
'The UN Security Council should not be hindered by a veto. If the Security Council in an urgent situation is paralysed by a veto, this may undermine the credibility of the UN itself. Sweden would therefore like to see a moratorium on the use of the veto – pending amendment of the UN Charter.' This statement was made by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mrs Anna Lindh, in her address to the UN General Assembly in New York early on Wednesday. She also stated that the UN is in danger of being hampered by displays of unwillingness on the part of countries such as the United States to pay their assessed contributions.
'They must be paid in full, on time and without conditions.' In her address, Anna Lindh highlighted four key areas to make the UN truly relevant: - Necessary measures by the Security Council must not be hampered by the veto
- The UN must concentrate on early action and conflict prevention
- Nuclear disarmament
- UN work in the field of human rights and democracy is a precondition for peace and must therefore be strengthened.
'The UN system also needs to be reformed and its working methods changed. In particular we need to strengthen the UN's capacity for conflict prevention. The Security Council should be more transparent and able to hear the views of all relevant parties to a conflict. Democracy and protection of human rights build peace. In the long term a sustainable development with reduced poverty can lead to a securer and safer world.'
'We have a tendency to blame the United Nations for our own failures. In fact, when the UN fails, we fail. There is no real alternative to global cooperation to cope with increasingly global problems. For this, we need the UN – but a strengthened and reformed UN,' Mrs Lindh concluded.
