THE Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1956. Security Council Membership

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28158, 22 December 1956, Page 10

THE Press SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1956. Security Council Membership

The post-war inability of the great Powers to agree and their subsequent use of the veto, principally by Russia, have somewhat diminished the immediate importance of the Security Council of the United Nations. Since the Korean War the collective security aims of the ; charter have been increasingly exercised by the General Assembly Nevertheless, the Security Council, as the principal organ of the i United Nations, still has important functions, which would become more important still if relations between Russia and the West improved. The proposal to in.rease its membership to conform with the wider membership of the United Nations is sensible. When the strength of the Security Council was fixed at 11, including the five permanent members, the United Nations had about 50 members; now it has a round 80. Six council seats for 451 members was reasonable; six seats for 75 is not. Also, geographical groupings of little importance when the United Nations was formed now have a claim to reasonable representation on the council. The

“ gentlemen’s agreement ” by which certain areas were given seats broke down last year when the African and Asian group (now the largest in the organisation), which wanted a second seat, came into competition with Eastern Europe, which naturally wanted to have at least one representative. A deadlock developed between the Philippines, supported by the United States, and Jugoslavia, supported by Russia and the United Kingdom. This was resolved when the candidates agreed to share the two-year term, in spite of Russian disapproval. Jugoslavia, by the luck of the draw, had the first year, and the Philippines has now entered on its year of office. A repetition of this curious compromise would probably be avoided if the council was given the membership of 13, suggested by Latin American countries. As the New Zealand delegate (Sir Leslie Munro) has said, the increase would have the additional advantage of giving an opportunity for council membership to countries not falling clearly into any group. The United Nations would probably accept the suggested amendment if it were not for Russia’s veto, the charter requiring the approval of all permanent members of the Security Council to any alteration. Russia’s opposition to the amendment is not, however, based on its merits. Instead, the Communist countries see the proposal as a lever by which they can obtain the seating of China in the United Nations and the exclusion of Nationalist China. With the enlarged membership of the United Nations and the growing influence of India, Russia will get considerable support for this new “ package “ deal ”, though hardly enough in | present circumstances to ensure its acceptance. Any kind of accommodation between the Communists and the democratic nations now seems further off than ever; but the instability both of world politics and of Russian internal politics leaves the future very open. If the problem of China can be solved and if Russia is prepared to give real meaning to its peaceful protestations, the amendment to the charter and the greater usefulness of the Security Council could be achieved simultaneously. The opportunity would be taken to review other I sections of the charter, too, because the whole organisation has developed rather differently than was ; intended 11 years ago.