Mexico City - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday he hoped governments would agree to reform the Security Council to give it more legitimacy and broad-based support. ``I think it is possible to have a council that is small, that is also representative and thus has also greater legitimacy,'' Annan told a news conference after a meeting with Mexico's President Ernesto Zedillo. Enlarging both the permanent and the non-permanent membership of the 15-seat council, the most powerful U.N. body, has been under discussion in the U.N. General Assembly for the past few years with no resolution in sight.
Mexico, along with some other Latin American countries, has been
hesitant in enlarging the council's permanent seats if it meant one
country, such as Brazil, would represent the region.
Annan said he believed it was now accepted that changes were called for
and he was hopeful agreement could be reached on the make-up of a
revamped Security Council before too long.
``I would hope that in the not too distant future they will come to an
agreement as to the extent and the nature of the council and its
ultimate composition,'' he said.
``Many people have argued that the Security Council as it now exists
does not reflect today's realities, and it reflects more or less the
geopolitical situation in 1945. I think there is recognition of the fact
that change is required,'' he said.
Annan is in Mexico on a two-day visit on the final leg of a five-nation
tour of Latin America-- his first visit to the region since his
appointment in 1996.
The Security Council currently has five permanent members- the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain and 10 rotating members, five of which are elected each year for two year terms. ``There are those who believe that the council should be kept small for it to be an effective body and ... others who argue that the council has to become more democratic and has to reflect today's reality to gain in greater legitimacy,'' Annan said. Opinion among member states is divided roughly into two main groups with variations among them. One favours permanent seats to Germany and Japan as well as at least three from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The other group, led by Italy, opposes adding any new permanent members but instead increasing the number of rotating seats that favours large and medium-sized countries. The United States is in favour of permanent seats for Germany and Japan but wants to limit the total number of members to about 20 or 21, to maintain the council's effectiveness.
