Emphasising the need for consensus on UN Security Council reform, Pakistan has cautioned the General Assembly against any "precipitative move" to secure a decision by a vote.
"A divisive vote is likely to freeze the status-quo in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and thus squander the opportunity for its early reform and democratisation," Pakistan's UN ambassador Munir Akram told the 191-member Assembly on Thursday.
Participating in a debate on the question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the 15-nation Council, he said a push for vote would revive regional tensions and resurrect divisions within the organisation.
"It would once again eclipse, and possibly derail, the rest of the agenda of UN reform", the Pakistan ambassador said.
"It could halt the heartening progress we are making, or expect to make, on the establishment of a Peace-building Commission, on terrorism, on the Human Rights Council, and, most importantly, on the implementation of the Development Agenda."
This is the first time the 191-Member Assembly is discussing the Council reform following the world Summit in September, which called for making it more representative, transparent, accountable and effective.
But the ambassador Akram said there were significant differences to achieve those objectives.
He called on the Assembly president, Jan Eliasson, to convene a meeting of the Working Group on this issue and enable delegations to exchange views in order to further advance the possibilities for consensus on the "important issue", including the improvement of its working methods.
The differences in approach were highlighted during the summer when the Group of Four - India, Brazil, Germany and Japan - made a disparate attempt to secure permanent seats in an expanded council, a move that backfired.
There were three proposals: The G-4 proposal would bring the number of permanent and non-permanent seats to 25, while the African Union's enlargement plan would make it 26.
The Italy and Pakistan-led Uniting for Consensus (UFC) group's proposal sought 10 additional non-permanent but re-electable seats.
Officials said today's meeting was aimed at just debating the issue and the Assembly would take no action since there is no draft resolution before it.
In his speech, Ambassador Munir Akram said, "We are all aware that agreement within the general membership on the issue of representation on an enlarged Security Council will require difficult and patient negotiations.
"Member States must be allowed the necessary time and space to reconcile their positions and to evolve a solution acceptable to the entire membership. It is, therefore, essential to engage in a dialogue and constructive negotiations to achieve an equitable and widely-acceptable solution."
The Pakistan ambassador said the Uniting for Consensus proposal offered the most promising basis to evolve a consensus, especially on the issue of equitable representation on the Council.
He said the virtues of that proposal included increased opportunity for all Member States, including small and medium states, to secure more representation; enhanced accountability of Council members through periodic elections; and creating a direct United Nations Charter amendment for the approval of the assembly.
Also, ambassador Akram said, the proposal was compatible with Africa's desire for equitable representation. Rotation on the Council was the best means to ensure the representation of regional interests, including those of Africa. The regional approach was also positive for sub-regional groups, such as the Arab League, the CARICOM and Central America.
The reform of the Council's working methods must go beyond just improving its operating process, he said. Openness, transparency and inclusiveness needed to be introduced in the working modalities of the Council and its subsidiary bodies, especially the "sanctions committees."