Biden Taking Proposals on UN Security Council Reform to New York

Sept. 18, 2023, (EIRNS)—One of the items on President Joe Biden’s agenda for the UN General Assembly Debate opening tomorrow will be reform of the UN Security Council. “We believe it should be more inclusive and more comprehensive,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the Telegraph in an interview. Asked if that meant changing the veto rules or the membership structure, Kirby replied: “We just think it’s time to have a discussion about the architecture in the organization. I think President Biden, the United States, would support more members.”

The Telegraph makes clear at the outset, however, that it’s not about inclusiveness, but about diluting the power of Russia and China on the council. “Joe Biden is expected to call for the UN Security Council to be expanded to counter Russia and China as world leaders gather in New York,” the Telegraph reports. Names being bandied about as possible new permanent members include India, Brazil, Germany, Japan and South Africa. What’s not clear is whether the new members would get veto power.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters this morning that indeed the UN Security Council is in need of a transformation in order to maximize its effectiveness. “The UN Security Council indeed needs to be overhauled in order to increase the efficacy of this extremely important international body to the utmost. Of course, to do so, the consensus of all participants is needed,” he said, commenting on U.S. President Joe Biden’s plans to propose expanding the number of the UNSC permanent members.

Peskov remarked that additionally, the UNSC needs greater inclusiveness “from the point of view of precisely those countries that recently took on an additional role, giving them a much greater impact on global security and the economy as well as more clout.”

“It is necessary to begin this conversation and we have said this repeatedly,” he commented, pointing out that the process requires “very complex and possibly lengthy talks.”