Vol. 562 No. 1
306 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, in the event of disagreement at the UN Security Council among the permanent members, he, on Ireland's behalf, will sponsor a resolution, and initiate a procedure known as the unity for peace resolution procedure of the General Assembly, a procedure which has been used ten times previously by the UN; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5711/03]
It is assumed that the Deputy is referring to the procedure provided for in resolution 377(V) adopted by the UN General Assembly on 3 November 1950, known as the "Uniting for Peace" resolution. Resolution 377 was envisaged by its sponsors as a means of circumventing the use of the veto by one or more of the permanent members of the Security Council. It provides that if the Security Council, because of lack of unanimity of the permanent members, fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in any case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression, the General Assembly shall consider the matter immediately with a view to making appropriate recommend ations to members for collective measures, including in the case of a breach of the peace or act of aggression, the use of armed force when necessary, to maintain or restore international peace and security.
The procedure involves the convening of an emergency special session of the General Assembly to consider the issue in question. Such sessions have been convened ten times under resolution 377, in 1956 – Suez; 1956 – Hungary; 1958 – Lebanon; 1960 – Congo; 1967 – Middle East; 1980 – Afghanistan; 1980 – the question of Palestine; 1981 – Namibia; 1982 – Golan Heights; and 1997 – Israeli actions in the occupied Palestinian territories. Any decision by a UN member state to initiate this procedure would of course depend on the particular circumstances. It is clear, however, from the above list that resort to the "Uniting for Peace" procedure in the effort to resolve urgent issues of international peace and security offers no panacea.
My own view, buttressed by Ireland's recent experience of membership, is that such issues are addressed most effectively by a united Security Council. It is far from evident that absence of unity in the Council can be overcome through recourse to the General Assembly or that the General Assembly would in such a case be in a position to put in place practical ameliorating arrangements. Most Council resolutions are adopted by consensus, often marking the culmination of intensive consultation and negotiation to reconcile divergent views and interests. The process of achieving unity is often a fraught one, but the Council's credibility, and therefore its effectiveness, is enhanced by the commitment that its members, both permanent and elected, bring to the task.
