REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA- Indonesia so far has consistently rejected the use of the veto right of UN Security Council's members, according to Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marty Natalegawa in a written statment on Sunday.
The minister made the remarks on September 25, 2014, in a ministerial meeting co-organized by France and Mexico on arrangement of veto rights towards mass atrocities. Thirty two countries took part in the meeting, of which 26 countries, including Indonesia, were represented by ministerial level officials.
The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Minister of France Laurent Fabius and Mexico's Foreign Minister Jose Antinio Meade.
Marty said that the veto right of the UNSC was
anachronistic and should be abolished. But realizing the difficult condition to be faced in fighting for the abolition of the veto right, Marty supported a French initiative for the formation of a code of conduct on the use of the veto right by member countries of the UNSC.
He admitted the code of conduct was a good initial step to increase the credibility and effectiveness of the UNSC performance.
Most of those who attended the meeting supported the French initiative for the formation of a code of conduct on the use of veto right. They also shared the opinion of Indonesia that regulation on the use of the veto right was a key factor in creating a more representative, effective, transparent and accountable UNSC.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the French proposal on the need for a code of conduct for the UNSC members in order to prevent the use of veto right in the handling of such situations as mass atrocities, genocides, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.
Abuse of veto right in handling such situations is considered to cripple the UNSC in carrying out its tasks in preserving peace and international security based on the mandate of the UN Charter.