Washington: US President Joe Biden while attending the annual session of the UN General Assembly this week is expected to raise the issue of reforms in the United Nations Security Council, his National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday. He, however, sidestepped queries related to Russia's permanent membership in the UN Security Council (UNSC).
"It is not something that he (Biden) is going to raise tomorrow although I think the world can see that when a permanent member acts in this way, it strikes at the heart of the UN Security Council. That should lead everyone collectively to put pressure on Moscow to change course," Sullivan said.
"I expect the president will speak substantively to the question of UNSC reform while he is in New York. Whether he does so publicly or whether he communicates privately with the (UN) secretary-general and others, we are still working on it," he said in response to a query.
Biden may make a public statement that is more specific than the principles laid down by US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield but of course consistent with them, Sullivan said, adding, "We will reinforce those principles in all of our diplomatic engagements."
The US has supported the move to have India as a permanent member of the UNSC. In an interview with BBC World, Thomas-Greenfield said the United States is open to discussions about expanding the UNSC so that it is more representative of the world. "Those discussions will take place over the course of the next few weeks and year to look at how additional members can become both permanent as well as selected members of the council," she said.
She hoped that China and Russia would agree with the US that it is time for the UN Security Council to change. Thomas-Greenfield said Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, when he was in Africa, talked about UNSC reform and mentioned that Russia might be supportive of it. "So, we will engage on this and see how far it gets us," she said. (PTI)
