75 countries back France’s appeal to limit use of UN veto

75 countries back France’s appeal to limit use of UN veto

PanARMENIAN.Net - Dozens of nations signed on to a French proposal on Wednesday, September 30, that the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council refrain from exercising their veto in cases of mass atrocities and genocide, Reuters reports.

Some 75 countries in Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia backed the proposal, and French officials say they expect more nations to join. There are 193 U.N. member nations.

“We hope there will be more commitments to ensure that these situations, like in Syria, where there are mass atrocities and the UN Security Council is paralyzed by a veto, disappear,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters.

He said France, one of the five permanent members with veto power, had already committed to not using its veto in case of mass atrocities and potential genocide, and hoped others would soon follow suit.

None of the other four veto powers - the United States, China, Britain and Russia - have formally signed up for the initiative, according to a map of countries that have joined the initiative provided by France.

“We underscore that the veto is not a privilege, but an international responsibility,” a French-drafted declaration on the veto limitation said, according to Reuters.

UN diplomats say that Britain supports the initiative, while the United States is considering it in a positive light. Both Russia and China, the diplomats say, have suggested they dislike the idea.

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