President Hu Jintao
said on Thursday that UN reform, a hot topic at the world body's
60th anniversary summit, should be realized through democratic
consultation in an active and prudent manner.
"The new international situation presents new challenges to the
UN," Hu said at an interactive roundtable focusing on its reform.
He urged member countries "to seize the historical opportunity to
introduce rational and necessary reforms" so that the organization
can better fulfill its mandate under the UN Charter.
It is the fourth time Hu has addressed the three-day UN
summit. On the second day of the summit, heads of government
and state from more than 170 countries stressed in their speeches
the need to reform the UN, to fight terrorism and to continue
efforts to achieve the UN's Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
As the reform has a key role in the organization's future, Hu
said they should focus on the overall mission and use it as the
yardstick to evaluate all reform proposals.
To help the reform gain a solid foundation and garner broad
support, it is necessary to have full deliberation and extensive
consultation where opinions of different parties are respected and
concerns mutually accommodated, Hu said.
He warned against imprudent activities in carrying out UN reform
to "ensure the results can withstand the test of time and
practice."
For proposals on which consensus has been or can be reached,
decisions may be made promptly for their implementation without
delay, Hu said. "But for proposals where major differences still
exist, a further exchange of views should be conducted to seek
consensus."
Last but not least, reform should be pushed forward on all
fronts with clear priorities, he said.
"Spanning such areas as security, development, the rule of law
and institutional reform, UN reform needs an integrated approach,"
Hu said. The views of developing countries, which account for
two-thirds of the UN membership, should be taken into full account
and their interests truly safeguarded.
Measures to give developing countries greater representation and
to help them realize the MDGs should be placed at the very top of
the reform agenda, he said.
"China is firmly committed to UN reform," he concluded, adding
that the country "stands ready to join hands with other member
states in ensuring that the progress of the reform is sound, thus
enabling the UN to make greater contributions to the lofty cause of
peace and development for mankind."
Hu also held bilateral meetings with Algerian President
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Gabonese President El Hadj
Omar Bongo Ondimba and Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson
Thursday on the sideline of the UN summit.
(China Daily September 17, 2005)