UNITED NATIONS: India and Japan are expected to battle it out for a two year rotating non-permanent seat in the Security Council later this year, ‘The seat, traditionally car marked for the Asian Group countries, will fall vacant when Indonesia completes its two year term in December, The elections are scheduled 10 take place in either October or November.

Although traditionally the election has been without a vote, neither country has given any indication of withdrawing from the race, The Asian Croup of countries, which would have normally “endorsed” a single candidate for the seat, will not take up the issue because it is sharply divided over which candidate to support.

AS a result, the Asian Group is expected to take the easy way out by permitting members to vote for the candidate of their choice without any Group constraints. Since the seat is up for grabs, both countries are canvassing for support.

The council has five veto wielding permanent members—the United States, France, China, Russia and the U.K—and 10 rotating, nonpermanent members elected for two-year terms, The 10 represent the geographical regions of Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean, Within Asia, there is a sub-regional division of South Asia, West Asia and East Asia, The two Asian countries that are currently non-permanent members are Indonesia and South Korea, both from east Asia.

Ambassador Prakash Shah, India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., said that it would be unfair to have Japan and South Korea holding two non-permanent seals simultaneously because they both represent East Asia as does the two Asian countries currently in the council. Since the reform of the Security Council places such high priority on equitable representation, he pointed out; it would be more geographically represented with a South Asian and an East Asian country.

Shah also wed that India’s presence in the council would add strength to the representation as of the Nonaligned Movement (NAM) because NAM countries tend to take collective stand in that body. Japan, although an Asian country, generally votes with the West and is not a member of the NAM.

Currently, Japan is one of the largest aid donors to developing nations and has been using its political clout to seek Third World support at the U.N. India, however, has greater claims to represent Third World interests and traditionally fights for the cause of developing nations.

Japan has been on the Security Council on seven occasions and India six. ‘The last time Japan held a non-permanent seat was in 1994 and India in 1993. The Asian Group last year taciy agreed on the candidacy of Sri Lanka (South Asia) for the council seat in 19961997, but Sri Lanka was challenged South Korea (East Asia), Before the Asian Croup could endorse Sri Lanka, and President Chandrika Kumaratunge decided to voluntarily withdraw its candidacy put forward by the former government.

‘The speculation at the U.N. was that this was done because of pressure from the South Koreans which later offered Sri Lanka about $100 million in aid and hundreds and thousands of jobs for Sri Lankan migrant laborers and also opened a branch of a Korean bank in Colombo.

The Koreans and the Sri Lankans denied that there had been any tradeoff Si Lanka’s withdrawal paved the way for the election of South Korea for a seat in the council for 1996 1997.

If the two candidates were forced into a vote before the 185member General Assembly, Sri Lanka had 9 fighting chance of beating the Koreans because the vacant seat rightfully belonged to South Asian, not an East Asian, country. The Asian Group was therefore expected to give it’s endorse. Ment to Sri Lanka ahead of the General Assembly vote in December.

 Japan and India are also both fronts. Runners for new permanent seats in the Security Council i and when the United Nations decides to expand the council as part of a restructuring exercise now under way.

Article extracted from this publication >>  March 13, 1996