Fergus O'Dowd
Question:149 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the initiatives he has undertaken to restore primacy in collective security to the United Nations. [9941/03]
Written Answers. - International Peace and Security.
The members of the United Nations have conferred on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. All the member states are agreed, under the terms of the United Nations Charter, that the Security Council acts on their behalf in carrying out its duties in accordance with this responsibility. While Ireland was a member of the Security Council in 2001-02, it was the Government's constant concern to ensure as far as possible that the Council assumed the responsibilities conferred on it by the United Nations Charter.
The Taoiseach and I have several times in recent weeks expressed the Government's regret that the Security Council did not remain united in respect of Iraq, and was unable to address effectively the situation foreseen in Resolution 1441. This failure should not, however, obscure the considerable achievements of the Security Council on a range of other issues, which demonstrate that the Council is well capable of living up to its responsibility to maintain and restore international peace and security, when the international community acts in concert through it. This was well attested during our own recent experience as a Security Council member, on issues such as Sierra Leone, East Timor, Afghanistan, and terrorism.
We should not forget that there are currently close on 40,000 UN peacekeepers engaged on peacekeeping missions mandated by the Security Council, and thousands more on missions undertaken by coalitions of states under Security Council authorisation. It is abundantly clear, therefore, that the United Nations Security Council is an indispensable institution for the maintenance of international peace and security.
There is a general recognition among UN member states that the Security Council is in need of reform. Ireland has taken, and will continue to take, an active role in the working group on reform of the Security Council. This group is examining the composition of the Council, its working methods, and its decision-making process including the issue of the veto.