UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The Russian ambassador at the United Nations blasted the United States, Britain and France for keeping three highest UN positions to themselves, and again rebuked attempts to scrap the right to veto at Tuesday’s UN Security Council.
"It can’t be considered normal when you have a situation with three key positions, Under Secretaries General of peacekeeping, political, and humanitarian affairs are effectively usurped by three countries," Vitaly Churkin said.
He urged to make the United Nations more democratic by rotating the senior posts among all member states, including the job of the UN Secretary General. Current UN chief Ban Ki-moon is due to step down at the end of next year.
"The effectiveness of such decisions leaves a lot to be desired. Often they lead to just worsening the crises," Churkin told the UNSC meeting.
Churkin further condemned repeated calls to abolish UN veto power, saying it was "one of the key provisions of the Charter that prompts council members to reach consensus."
"It’s clear why undermining the right of veto is the goal of those who want to seek mathematical majority in the Council," he argued.
Earlier this year, France urged again to adopt a new regulation, called "responsibility not to veto," which originates from 2013. Under the proposal, UNSC permanent members – Russia, the United States, China, Britain and France – will have to commit to not using their veto power in cases where a mass atrocity has been confirmed to have occurred.
