Summary: 19 February 2009, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union by Mr. Petr Kaiser, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the UN, in the Informal Plenary of the General Assembly on the Question of Equitable Representation on and Increase in the Membership of the Security Council
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to thank you for convening this very first meeting of the informal plenary of the General Assembly on the reform of the Security Council. This meeting marks the beginning of the intergovernmental process envisaged and the decision 62/557. The Czech Republic appreciates that all of us have managed to move to this stage after so many years of preparatory discussions. We strongly believe that the intergovernmental negotiations will bring about tangible and concrete results soon
enough. Only by doing so, will we be able to uphold our common commitment adopted unanimously by the General Assembly almost half a year ago.
Mr. Chairman,
In this context, we would like to acknowledge the dedication and energy with which the President of the General Assembly and you, yourself, Mr. Chairman have been steering our efforts in recent months. We share the feeling of urgency communicated to us by the President of the General Assembly in his letter of yesterday and echoed today in your opening statement. Indeed, we all have to do our utmost in order to achieve some meaningful progress during the 63rd Session of the General
Assembly.
Mr. Chairman,
We believe that the work plan proposed by the President of the General Assembly provides a solid basis in this regard. We are ready to work hard towards our goals. At the same time, we insist that the reform be prepared in a transparent, open and inclusive manner. Adhering to these principles will ensure that we arrive at a solution that would garner the widest possible support.
We fully endorse your appeal to start with negotiations on the substance and not to carry on with negotiations on negotiations. From this perspective, we believe that an elaboration of a "composite paper" would be necessary. It should be done by the time we start the discussion on the key issues as envisaged in the work plan.
Mr. Chairman,
After fifteen years of debates, the positions of the member states have been made sufficiently clear. The time has come to start building the bridges and seeking acceptable solutions. We have to start to negotiate in good faith, thus promoting necessary trust. Our lodestar should be the objective entrusted to us by our political masters at the 2005 World Summit: "early reform of the Security Council ... in order to make it more broadly representative, efficient and transparent and thus to
further enhance its effectiveness and the legitimacy."
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