| 30 dead, 160 injured in a suicide attack | | | |
CHAKWAL, At least 30 people were killed and 160 others injured in a suicide attack at the gate of Imambargah here on Sunday.
According to DSP traffic Iftikhar ul Haq the attacker blew himself up when security guards who were also among the dead,tried to stop him at the gate of Imambargah where people of
Shiite sect had gathered for a religious ceremony.
The injured of whom 15 to 20 were stated to be in serious condition had been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), the official said.
| President condemns Chakwal blast | | | |
The President deplored the attack and said such acts were being masterminded by people who were against the state and wanted to bring a bad name to the religion.
He directed authorities to find the perpetrators to award them exemplary punishment and best possible medical treatment to theinjured.
| 52 bodies recovered from container in Hazar Ganj |
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 QUETTA: At least 52 dead bodies have been recovered from a container in the Hazar Ganj area Saturday. According to Edhi sources, more than 24 survivors, crammed into a container and said to be in a semi- or sub-concsious state, have been shifted to the Bolan Medical College (BMC). According to reports, the container was being transported from Afghanistan to Iran via Pakistan on the way to Europe. One survivor, talking to SAMAA after regaining consciousness said, "We belong to North Waziristan." Sources said around 150 people had been bundled into a container, which is being said to be a classic case of human trafficking. Deaths occured due to dwindling supply of oxygen in the container. Most of the deceased belonged to Afghanistan and tribal areas. SAMAA's Noor Elahi Bugti told that the driver of the vehicle had managed to escape. The police has arrested the contractor of the container. According to reports, the container was being transported from Afghanistan to Iran via Pakistan. Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Asma Jehangir, talking exclusively to SAMAA said, "This is a case of human trafficking." "There are strict penalties for human trafficking in Iran," she added. The truck had apparently been driven in to Pakistan by human smugglers aiming to take the people to Iran, said government official Naseem Lari. The truck carrying the container had been left at a truck stop on the outskirts of the city of Quetta and police had been alerted after passers-by heard cries for help, said police official Abid Jadoon. A rescue worker at the scene said the truck was filled with dead and unconscious people. "We received information about 110 bodies but we have found around 50 bodies. The rest of the people were unconscious, and have been moved to BMC hospital," said Mohammad Abbas. Jadoon said about 100 people in total were in the container and the dead had suffocated in its tightly sealed interior. |
| Flogging video fake: Taliban |
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 PESHAWAR: The Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan has said the video in which a girl appears to be whipped is fake. Spokesman Muslim Khan told the media in Char Bagh Saturday that four minors beat the girl, not adult men. "The video is propoganda by the West and NGOs," he said, "to defame the peace deal." According to him, the incident took place seven months ago and the girl was punished for living in sin with her father-in-law. She was whipped 18 times by 10 to 12 year old boys. Her father-in-law was whipped 38 times, he maintained. The spokesman also brought forward four boys, who he said were the ones who whipped the girl. "According to the peace deal we cannot mete out punishments because the Qazi courts have not been formed yet. President Asif Zardari has ordered a swift investigation into the flogging of a teen girl in Swat and Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has ordered that the girl be produced in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, outrage has poured in from across Pakistan and the world over the incident. In the undated video made on a mobile phone, a member of the Taliban is shown flogging a 17-year-old girl. "Hold her down tightly by the arms," the man beating her appears to say. "And move back so I can hit her better." The girl, who is lying face down and whose shirt appears to have been pulled up, screams. "Leave me," she cries. "Mere baap ki taubah [Even my forefathers repent]. I won't do it again." She also could have said, her father was present. When the flogging ends, the beater tells the man taking the girl away: "Take her into the room, pimp." OUTRAGE "You cannot condemn this enough," said Brig. (retd) Mehmood Shah, who was the secretary of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement that describes itself as a liberal and progressive party also strongly condemned the footage. "If you call up some political parties they will quote Surah Nur and say it is Islamic," lamented the party's Haider Abbas Rizvi, who added that he had no words to express his disgust and horror over what had happened. SAMAA's Tariq Waheed said it was not clear where exactly the girl is from but she appeared to be a local. Nothing like this has come to the front in Pakhtun culture. "Some people are also saying that this video is part of a conspiracy to defame the Taliban," he said. |
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 ISLAMABAD: At least eight people have died after a suicide bomber attaacked their check post near the Jinnah Super Market in Sector E/7 of the Margallah area Saturday. The FC men panicked and started firing but later Interior Advisor Rehman Malik told the media that it was no an exchange of fire as initially thought. Five FC personnel were injured in the blast. They were taken to the PIMS hospital and Polyclinic. The former has received more of the injured since it is closer to where the incident took place. SAMAA's Islamabad Bureau Chief Ehteshamul Haq talking to the anchors told that apparently the perpetrators are trying to send a message to the people and the government. Around 10,000 police personnel have been incorporated into the police and 1000 have been deployed at the police stations, he said. "People are saying that the checkposts should be shifted out of the area since the VIP culture is no longer in fashion." It is now being learnt that the explosion occured at the entrance of the FC camp. Ambulances and Rescue 1122 teams have arrived at the scene. According to SAMAA's Sadaqat Ali reporting from the PIMS hospital, one out of the injured four is said to be in critical condition. "Media is not being allowed to go beyond a certain point," he said, adding, "There is more than one entrance and the injured have been wheeled into the hospital from the other entrances," he said. To a question he replied, "All rescue efforts have been put on hold as it is believed that the person who is responsible for the firing is probably still in the area." "Situation here is not good," said Sadaqat. Police have cordonned off the area. Interior Advisor Rehman Malik talking to SAMAA condemning the attack confirmed it was a suicide mission. "The suicide bomber was hiding in the bushes when the FC personnel were having their dinner and got a chance to detonate the device," he explained. Although it is difficult to detect an individual suicide bomber, however, they can be spotted wearing white shalwar kameez and sandals and itar [domestic perfume] because they are told that they are going to heaven, Malik explained further. "This incident has no connection with the Red Mosque as that matter has been settled," Malik said. He said, buildings which were vulnerable have been secured and assured all measures have been taken to minimise suicide bombings and attacks. |
 | Peace essential for peoples of Pak, India: Musharraf |
 NEW DELHI: Former president Gen. (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf Saturday said Pakistan and India are facing the common threat of terrorism.Addressing a seminar in the Indian capital, he said the terrorist elements are present in both the countries and the need of the hour is for the moderate people to stand against them. “I am standing for standing for peoples of both the countries and for peace,” Pervez Musharraf said adding “peace is essential for the peoples of Pakistan and India.” |
| Nawas vows to root out ‘politics of hypocrisy, fraud’ |
 FAISALABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif Saturday said he would not sit in rest until he roots out what he called the politics of hypocrisy and fraud.Addressing a public meeting in Faisalabad, Nawaz Sharif said the real court of people is before me right here. He said the parliament should represent this parliament of people ‘that is here in front of me.’ We do not accept the Supreme Court of Islamabad, he said. The PML-N Chief said Shahbaz Sharif is the constitutional chief minister of Punjab. He said he cannot see Pakistan People’s Party getting weaker and invited PPP workers to come and participate in his rally. Nawaz Sharif pointed out that a whole year passed but no progress was made towards getting to the perpetrators of Ms. Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. He said Pervez Musharraf tried to meet him when he visited Mecca and other places outside Pakistan but “we never met him because he (Pervez Musharraf) violated the law and the Constitution of our country.” “I faced a seven-year long exile but never joined hands with the violators of law and the Constitution.” He recalled that Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto once said that Pakistan flag will be hoisted again at the residence of the deposed chief justice. “We never wanted to take oath from Pervez Musharraf but we had to take that painful step on the demand of Zardari Sahab.” Nawaz Sharif said he is still ready to for reconciliation which, he said, will not be for ministries and personal interests but for the 160 million people of Pakistan. “Reconciliation will only be for the restoration of judges and the future generations of the country,” he asserted. He said those who damaged Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’s monument cannot be members of Muslim League. We tried a lot to find these people but failed, he added. He asked the PPP workers to come and take out a rally along with him for demanding arrest of the slayers of Ms. Bhutto. Nawaz Sharif on the occasion questioned the participants of the rally as to who broke the promises made on August 5 and 7? Who made mockery of the judiciary? Who is following the policies of a dictator? Who is turning a blind eye to the people’s mandate? Who snatched prime minster’s powers? Who is indulging in political wheeling dealing? The participants replied to these questions by taking the name of President Asif Ali Zardari. |
| Eight dead in attack on Sri Lanka cricketers in Lahore | |
 LAHORE: Gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team in a gun and grenade assault Tuesday in Lahore that killed eight people including six police personnel and wounded five members of the squad."The plan was apparently to kill the Sri Lankan team but the police came in the way and forced the attackers to run away," Lahore's police chief Habib-ur Rehman said. "They appeared to be well-trained terrorists," he told reporters. Rehman said up to 12 gunmen ambushed the team's convoy close to the Gaddafi stadium with rockets, hand grenades and automatic weapons, unleashing a fierce gun battle with security forces. The gunmen fled after the ambush, triggering a giant manhunt. Witnesses said the up market district of Lahore, home to many designer boutiques, was transformed into a battle zone as gunmen hidden behind trees opened fire in a sophisticated, coordinated attack. Police officials said two civilians and six policemen guarding the players were killed in the attack as the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan. Sri Lankan officials said seven team players and a coach were wounded. Star batsman Thilan Samaraweera and Tharanga Paranavithana were treated in hospital but out of danger, while Jayawardene, vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilina Thushara and Suranga Lokumal had minor injuries. Assistant coach Paul Farbrace, a British national, was also hurt. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also strongly condemned the "terrorist" attack and ordered an inquiry. Two air force helicopters evacuated the Sri Lankan team from the stadium to Lahore airport, from where they were to be flown home late Tuesday. Experts defused two car bombs and recovered grenades, three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of explosives, a pistol and a detonating cable. Blood stained the front seats of a vehicle used by Pakistan's elite force that had been assigned to protect the team, the van raked with gunfire with its wheels shot up and radio system disabled. The attack has sparked condemnation from around the world and threw a massive question mark over the future of the game in Pakistan -- a co-host for the 2011 cricket World Cup. |
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan-- Police in Lahore have launched an intensive search for at least 12 gunmen believed to be responsible for Tuesday's deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team which left six security personnel dead and eight players hurt -- including two with gunshot wounds.
Video footage showed several gunmen with automatic weapons firing on the convoy from a roundabout, Liberty Square, close to the stadium.
Pakistani Information Minister Sherry Rahman told CNN the attackers were still at large as police launched an intensive hunt for the assailants.
Witnesses described the scene of the ambush as "pandemonium."
Images showed police vehicles with their windscreens punctured by bullets and their front seats stained with blood. A body lies in the road in front of one bullet-shattered van.
"I heard two loud explosions outside the stadium and a lot of AK-47 fire," said Hamish Roberts, a cameraman who was inside the stadium at the time.
See a map of where the attack took place »
The driver of the bus said a police car and two security vans at the front of the convoy had borne the brunt of the gunmen's assault. 
Watch footage of the gunmen staging their attack »
Among the cricketers, batsmen Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera sustained the worst injuries.
Paranavitana, 26, was hit in the chest while Samaraweera, 32, suffered a bullet wound to the leg, according to Chamra Ranaveera, a Sri Lankan embassy attache. Both men are in a stable condition.
Six other players -- team captain Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Thilan Thushara and Mahela Jayawardene -- and assistant coach Paul Fabrece were also hurt, along with one coach and 10 security staff. 
Read profiles of the wounded players »
"This is a very well-planned attack," security official Nadeem Sayed told CNN. "The team is very much scared."
Cricket manager Charlie Austin, who represents six of the Sri Lankan squad, said none of the players' injuries were life-threatening.
"The guys are shocked. They are recovering at the moment," Austin told CNN. "Thankfully they've only suffered minor injuries. They're keen to leave Pakistan and get back to their families as soon as possible." Watch Austin describe the mood of the Sri Lankan players after the attack »
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the squad would be flown home to Colombo later Tuesday. Bogollagama is traveling to Pakistan for talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Sri Lankan officials have ruled out Tamil separatists, who have been waging a bloody civil war on the Southeast Asian island.
Witnesses who saw the attack praised the response of security officials.
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Several members of the Sri Lankan cricket team have been injured after gunmen fired on a convoy carrying cricketers in Pakistani city of Lahore.
The convoy was carrying Pakistani and Sri Lankan cricketers to a ground, which is hosting a Test match between the two sides.
Reports quoting Sri Lankan authorities say at least two Sri Lankan players were seriously injured in the incident.
Unconfirmed reports say some policemen had been killed by the shooting.
The incident happened on the road from the teams' hotel to the Gadaffi stadium, where a Test match is being held.
"It appears that our team bus was targeted on the way to the match. It appears that four of our cricketers have been injured and taken to the hospital," a Sri Lankan cricket official told an Indian TV channel from Colombo.
| Governor-rule imposed in Punjab for two months |
 LAHORE: The federal government has imposed the Governor-rule in Punjab for a period of two months, the Presidential spokesman said on Wednesday.According to spokesman, the Governor-rule has been imposed on the directives of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani under article 234 of the constitution. Earlier, Punjab Assembly members had submitted a requisition to convene provincial assembly session. |
| SC disqualifies Sharif brothers | | | |
| ISLAMABAD, Feb 25 (APP): The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday in a short order disqualified Mian Nawaz Sharif and Mian Shahbaz Sharif in eligibility case. After completion of arguments of Attorney General Sardar Latif Khosa a three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Moosa K.Leghari, Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali announced the short order of disqualification of Sharif brothers which says,” all the petitions are dismissed except petition of Sayed Khurram Shah and notification of the Election Commission is declared null and void.” Justice Sheikh Hakim Ali in his remarks said that the Supreme Court has the right to stop any ineligible person to become a member of the Parliament. The apex court also upheld the verdict of the Lahore High Court. The Federation had filed appeals in the apex court against the disqualification of PML-N chief Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and had challenged the June 24 Lahore High Court (LHC) order to set up an election tribunal to decide the eligibility of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. These appeals were filed under Article 185(3) of the Constitution, citing Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the Returning Officer PP-48, Bhakkar-II, the Election Appellate Tribunal for PP-48, Bhakkar-II, Lahore High Court, Chief Election Commissioner and Syed Khurram Shah as respondents. |
| Sharif brothers declared ineligible, Shahbaz no more Punjab CM |
 ISLAMABAD: The three-member Bench of Supreme Court has disposed off Sharif brothers’ electoral eligibility case by declaring them ineligible for contesting elections in its two-line short order announced here.Shahbaz Sharif under this verdict has lost his seat in the provincial assembly and being no longer member of the Punjab House, he is no more Punjab chief minister, as SC has annulled the earlier notification about his being chief minister. This case was under hearing of the SC three-member Bench headed by Justice Musa K. Laghari for the last eight months, in which, the Attorney General of Pakistan, Latif Khosa giving his arguments said that Punjab chief secretary and speaker were not the party in the case. Attorney General said that all the judges have taken oaths under the constitution and talking about the oath of the interim constitution was irrelevant. He said that Nawaz Sharif’s proposer and seconder could become parties in the case if the court permits them and their becoming parties was not necessary. He further said that it was the discretion of the judge to withdraw from the Bench and no one could direct him to pull out. On conclusion of the arguments, after a short break, the Bench disposing off the Sharif brothers’ eligibility case declared them ineligible. Following the verdict, Sharif brothers’ lawyer, Akram Sheikh told media that the decision was as expected, as the government was giving dictation to the judges. He said that Sharif brothers were declared ineligible on the orders of President Zardari. He said that the judges would be made accountable on the Day of Judgement. Akram Shiekh said that now it was up to the people to decide if the verdict was on merit. He said that he couldn’t comment on the incomplete two-line judgment. This decision would be presented as bouquet to President Asif Zardari on his return from the China tour. ML-N workers in sizable number were present on the occasion of the announcement of verdict raising slogans in favour of long march and Sharif brothers. Security arrangement remain tightened in the capital city here. |
سپریم کورٹ نے نواز شریف اور شہباز شریف کو نا اہل قرار دیدیا
اسلام آباد ۔25 فروری (اے پی پی) سپریم کورٹ نے پاکستان مسلم لیگ (ن) کے قائد میاں نواز شریف اور وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب میاں شہباز شریف کو نااہل قراردیدیا ہے، اور ان کے حق میں دائر کردہ اپیلیں خارج کرتے ہوئے الیکشن کمیشن کے نوٹیفکیشن کو کالعدم قرار دیدیا ہے اس فیصلے کے تحت میاں شہباز شریف اب پنجاب اسمبلی کے رکن اور وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب نہیں رہیں گئے ۔ سپریم کورٹ کے جج جسٹس موسیٰ کے لغاری کی سربراہی میں تین رکنی بینچ نے شریف برادران کی اہلیت سے متعلق کیس کی سماعت کی جس میں جسٹس شیخ حاکم علی اور جسٹس سخی حسین بخاری شامل تھے۔
عدالت عظمیٰ نے بدھ کو اٹارنی جنرل سردار لطیف کھوسہ کے دلائل سننے کے بعد یہ مختصر حکم جاری کیا اور اپنے حکم میں قرار دیا کہ میاں نواز شریف کے خلاف سید خرم شاہ کی درخواست منظور کرتے ہوئے عدالت عظمیٰ اس معاملے میں دائر کی گئی تمام اپیلیں خارج کرتی ہے۔ اس میں فیڈریشن کی اپیلیں بھی شامل تھیں، جو میاں نوازشریف اور شہباز شریف کے خلاف لاہور ہائی کورٹ کے فل بینچ کے فیصلے کے خلاف سپریم کورٹ میں دائر کی گئی تھی۔ میاں نواز شریف کی جانب سے ان کے تجویز کنندہ مہر ظفر اقبال اور تائید کنندہ شکیل بیگ نے اپیل دائر کی تھی اور عدالت سے استدعا کی تھی کہ انہیں فیڈریشن کی طرف سے دائر کردہ اپیلوں میں فریق بنایا جائے۔ وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب میاں شہباز شریف کی طرف سے سپیکر پنجاب اسمبلی اور چیف سیکرٹری پنجاب نے اپیلیں دائر کی تھیں جبکہ میاں نواز شریف کے خلاف قومی اسمبلی کے حلقہ 123 میں امیدوار نور الٰہی اور ایک عام شہری خرم شاہ نے اپیلیں دائر کی تھیں۔
| Sharif brothers’ ineligibility a biased decision of PCO judges: Aitzaz |
 ISLAMABAD: Former President of Supreme Court Bar Association and leader of lawyers movement Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan said ineligibility of Sharif brothers is seems to be a biased decision of PCO judges.Talking to media here, Aitzaz expressed regrets over the verdict and said it would damage the goodwill of courts. He said long march would be held as per schedule. |
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: At least four persons were killed in a car bomb blast at Lakki Marwat area here.
| Peace Jirga leaves for talks with Maulana Sufi at Deolai | |
 SWAT: Defunct outfit Tahrik-e-Nifaz Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) and Swat Peace Jirga are holding talks today, as a delegation of national peace Jirga has left for Deolai.Sources said that the defunct outfit TNSM and Swat Peace Jirga are holding talks today at Deolai area of Tehsil Kabal here, which would mainly focus on future strategy for the restoration of permanent peace in the district. Later on, TNSM caravan will reach Landakai from Deolai en-route Shahderai and Shamozai and finally to the Mingora town. TNSM spokesman, Amir Izzat Khan said that the peace march aims at wiping out the fears and panic from among the affected people. The peace caravan will stay put in Swat until peace restored in the entire district. Swat education department said that government boys’ schools all across the district have been declared open, while the private schools in the area were already open. |
| Explosion rocks DI Khan, eight dead, dozens injured | | | |
The injured were rushed to the district headquarters Hospital for treatment where emergency has been declared.
The mourners and family members of the deceased protested over the incident and resorted to aerial firing. Police rushed to the scene and started search operation.
| President, PM condemn blast in D I Khan | | | |
President Zardari said such acts of violence, bomb blasts and terrorism were a serious threat to the country and directed local administrations to take strict measures so that no such incidents recur.
Prime Minister Gilani taking a strong note of the tragic mincident sought a report from the provincial government. He said the government was committed to ensure law and order across the country.
He directed that law enforcing agencies to ensure strict security measures at all large gatherings and invstigate the matter to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The President and the Prime Minister in their separate messages to the families of the deceased prayed to Almighty Allah to shower his blessings and to grant courage to them to bear this irreparable loss.
They also directed the provincial authorities to provide best possible medical care to the injured.
| President, PM condole death of Shujaat Hussain’s mother | | | |
| Heat waves and extreme drought to increase with climate change: UN | | | |
The statement was also released at UN Headquarters in New York.
The continental United States and Mexico, the Mediterranean basin, parts of northern China, southern Africa and Australia and parts of South America were cited as particularly prone to harsh drought, WMO said in a press release relaying the results of the International Workshop on Drought and Extreme Temperatures.
In addition, severe heat waves are expected to increase everywhere, especially in the continental western US, northern Africa, the Middle East, central Asia, southern Africa and Australia, the agency added.
More than 40 scientists from climate and agricultural research institutes, universities and environmental monitoring organizations participated in the conference, which ran from 16 to 17 February and was co‑sponsored by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).
The increase in Australian droughts and heat waves could be a temporary climate event lasting 10 to 30 years, according to several presentations at the conference that noted that these events have occurred in the historical climate record elsewhere in the world.
However, they added, the Australian events are also consistent with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report, which says that the world has been more drought‑prone during the past 25 years.
Several participants detailed examples of droughts and heat waves, such as those in Europe in 2003, in south‑east Australia in 2009, and currently in northern and central China, which are the worst drought in half a century
To help agriculture, rangelands and forestry cope with the phenomenon, they recommended the development of a standardized drought index that can be practically applied to a wide range of agricultural purposes across the world.
Other recommendations included more proactive drought planning, efficient water use and wider introduction of new drought‑tolerant crop varieties.
WMO said it has been developing monitoring and prediction tools, with CMA and other partners, to increase awareness of extreme climatic hazard in the agriculture and forestry communities.
It added that World Climate Conference‑3, which is being held from August 31 to September 4, 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland, will address these issues through several presentations on the connections between climate variability and change and agriculture, the agency said.
| Pakistan stresses ‘widest possible consensus’ on UNSC expansion | | | |
“Our positions will conform to the principles of sovereign equality of states and equitable geographical distribution,” Pakistan’s U.N. Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon told an informal meeting of the 192‑member assembly where talks began on five key issues, including the size, composition and power of an expanded council.
“We shall work for a reform model that is responsive to the substantial increase in the number of developing countries in the UN membership since the 60s,” in an obvious reference to dominance of the big powers in the council.
“We would prioritize regional interests over individual interests, through accommodation of positions of all member states and regional
and other groupings, including in particular Africa and the OIC.”
The council’s reform, which got underway some 16 years ago, was backed by the 2005 world summit held at UN Headquarters in New York.
There is widespread support for revamping the U.N.’s most powerful organ to reflect current global realities rather than the international power structure after World War II when the United Nations was created.
But all previous attempts, starting in 1979, have failed because rivalries between countries and regions blocked agreement on how to expand the council.
The Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, has 15 seats. It includes 10 non · permanent members elected for two‑year terms that come from all regions of the world, and there are five permanent members with veto power whose support is essential for any reform to be adopted, the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France.
Despite the general agreement on enlarging the council, member states remain sharply divided over the details.
In July 2005, the so‑called Group of Four, India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, aspired to permanent seats without veto rights on a 25 · member council, with six new permanent seats without veto power, including two for the African region, and four additional non‑permanent seats.
The Italy/Pakistan‑led “Uniting for Consensus” (UfC) group opposed any expansion of the permanent members on the Security Council. It sought enlargement of the council to 25 seats, with 10 new non‑permanent members who would be elected for two‑year terms, with the possibility of immediate re‑election.
The African Union’s called for the Council to be enlarged to 26 seats, one more permanent seat than the G‑4 proposal. Its proposal for six new permanent seats was the same as the G‑4’s, except that it would give the new members veto power.
“The willingness to find a negotiated solution is a significant shift from the divisiveness of the past,” the Pakistan ambassador said, referring the last December’s decision to build consensus on taking this process forward towards a ‘negotiated’ solution.
“It offers an opportunity for a breakthrough, for a reform that is no longer hostage to the ambitions of a few, but that would accommodate
the interests and positions of all member states, and promote the larger objectives of the United Nations Organization, thus enhancing its unity, effectiveness, credibility and legitimacy.”
Terming the start of the negotiations as an important landmark, Ambassasdor Haroon assured that Pakistan will play an active and constructive role in the process.
“This is a historic day in the United Nations,” Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann said. “Finally, today, we are about to enter into the substance of this reform.”
Italian Ambassador Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, whose country recently hosted a ministerial meeting of 80 countries to discuss remaking the council, said that “everybody feels the pressure of the international situation, be it in the peace and security (area), be it in the financial aspect.”
But Chinese Ambassador Zhang Yesui said he viewed the negotiations as a continuation of talks in the assembly’s working group. “The problems remain,” he said. “We have to see how people present their views in this new forum.”
German Ambassador Thomas Matussek, whose country is seeking a permanent seat as a reflection of its economic might, said prospects for compromise “are better than they were before, because against the backdrop of the international financial and economic crisis everybody talks about global governance.”
The question, he said, is whether countries want the world to be run by small groups of economically and politically powerful nations or “by the only legitimate global institution that we have, and that is the U.N.”
D’Escoto, the General Assembly President, said the first negotiations, on March 4, will tackle the different categories of Security Council membership. That session will be followed by meetings on the veto and regional representation later in March.
The size of an enlarged council and its working methods as well as the relationship between the council and the General Assembly will be up for consideration in April.
A second round of negotiations is scheduled for May.
Chances for a deal remain to be seen, and some diplomats said talks could stretch into next year.
U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said President Barack Obama’s administration supports council expansion “in a way that will not diminish its effectiveness or its efficiency.”
“We will make a serious, deliberate effort, working with partners and allies, to find a way forward that enhances the ability of the Security Council to carry out its mandate and effectively meet the challenges of the new century,” she said.
China’s Yesui said Beijing supports expansion of the Security Council “and we think priority should be given to an increase of the representation of developing countries, particularly from African countries.”
