Global Policy Forum

Dated 31 March 2000
from the Permanent Representative of Germany
to the President of the General Assembly in his capacity as Chairman of the Working Group

A/AC.247/2000/CRP.5, Annex VII

July 10, 2000

During the March deliberations of the Open-ended Working Group, it was suggested that Germany submit in writing its proposal on the introduction of an obligation to explain the use of a veto.

I am glad to provide you with our proposal. The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Joschka Fischer, addressed the General Assembly on 22 September 1999 on this subject. He said:

"According to the Charter, the Security Council acts with the mandate and on behalf of all United Nations Member States. But hitherto they have not been entitled to learn why a State has exercised its right of veto. This is not only neither democratic nor transparent, but also makes it easier for States to veto a draft resolution unilaterally for national rather than international interests. The introduction of an obligation for a State to explain to the General Assembly why it is vetoing a draft resolution would make it more difficult to do so and thus bring about substantial progress towards using the right of veto more responsibly. Why should not the General Assembly assume more responsibility in future, too?"

We think that we can in this way pragmatically approach the veto reform, which a significant majority of United Nations Member States have demanded. As a complete abolition of the veto is not realistic, most Member States favour limiting the use of the veto.

In making its proposal, Germany took into consideration the pragmatic approach taken by a group of reform-oriented Member States, the "group of ten", namely, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal and Slovenia. In June 1998 they submitted a number of practical proposals to reform and limit the use of the veto which would not require Charter amendments. ( See Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-second Session, Supplement No. 47 (A/52/47), annex XVI.)

Asking permanent Security Council members to justify their actions might make it more difficult for them to cast a veto. In an ideal scenario, they might even refrain from using the veto altogether. We could thus have a more democratic use of the veto without having to change the Charter.

I should like to request you to circulate this letter as a conference room paper, thus making it available to all members of the Open-ended Working Group.

(Signed) Dieter Kastrup

Ambassador

Permanent Representative