Kuwait starts UNSC membership amidst global challenges
NEW YORK: Kuwait commenced its membership at the UN Security Council (UNSC) yesterday, after a 40year hiatus, amidst many regional and global challenges. Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al Sabah, in earlier statements, said that Kuwait will continue being neutral in resolving different issues.
He added that Kuwait would fully cooperate with UNSC’s Member States to peacefully end conflicts and wars. Sheikh Sabah also stressed the importance of reforms within the UN organizations to allow them to properly execute their duties around the world. Kuwait will have a two-year membership at the Council and will succeed Egypt in representing the Arab Group in the UN.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s permanent envoy to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi said that 188 out 193 UN General Secretariat Member States voted for Kuwait’s membership, which shows that the country had gained the trust of the international community. Kuwait’s top priorities are to prevent conflicts before they occur, mediation in terms of the UN’s articles and reforming the UN General Secretariat and the UNSC, he noted.
Otaibi affirmed the need of Arab representation in the Council that would meet aspirations of Arab states, to properly demonstrate their cases and issues on the UN’s agenda. Otaibi also called for increasing the number of the Council’s Member States, adding that Arab countries are demanding a permanent Arab seat at the Council. Making reform in UNSC had been discussed for over 23 years, but it is a very complicated and sensitive issue, said the ambassador. The Council’s permanent Member States are not presenting clear points of view and are not effectively taking part in discussions over the matter, he added.
Otaibi said that among the reforms are also demands for granting the right to ‘veto’ for new members, or limiting the use of veto only to issues regarding world peace and security. The UNSC consists of 15 countries, 10 are elected and five enjoy a permanent membership and the veto right, including the US, UK, France, Russia and China.