Veto Rights Become An Obstacle, Including For Gaza, France-Spain Urges Restrictions On UN DK

UN/Laura DOC Jarriel Morgan Ortagus, US Mission Advisory Minister for the United Nations, voted (veto) against the draft resolution during the 10,000th meeting of the Council on the situation in Gaza.

JAKARTA - France and Spain have again called for restrictions on the use of veto rights in the United Nations (UN) Security Council (UN), arguing that the mechanism has repeatedly hampered global action in dealing with the humanitarian crisis, including the situation in Gaza.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the Security Council needs to be reformed to better reflect the current geopolitical reality and restore legitimacy on its decisions.

"We want to ensure that two permanent seats in the Security Council are given to Africa, as well as that Japan, Germany, and Brazil also get seats, so that the decisions taken become more valid," he said at the Paris Peace Forum as reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Thursday, October 30.

Barrot said France had been working with Mexico for years to promote veto rights restriction initiatives in cases of atrocities and gross violations of humanity. The proposal has now been backed by more than 20 countries.

"We failed to achieve a joint commitment regarding Gaza," he said, stressing that the Security Council must bear "moral and political responsibility" to enforce international law.

That's why we are so hard to push for Security Council reforms, so decisions hampered veto rights can reopen, especially when basic human rights are at stake."

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares agrees with Barrot. He stated that Spain's position has always been consistent, both in the issues of Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and the Sahel.

"We defend international law, international humanitarian law, and protection against civilians," he said.

Albares also called the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) an "irreplaceable" institution while asserting that the lives of six million Palestinians in the Middle East depend on the institution.

He stressed humanitarian aid must be able to enter the Gaza Strip without a hitch, and those responsible for attacks on humanitarian workers must be held accountable.

"We must remember that the decision of the International Court is binding for all members of the United Nations, including the Israeli authorities," he stressed. "Israel cannot have veto rights," he added.

Meanwhile, International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) President Mirjana Spoljaric-Egger warned that humanitarian operations in Gaza are still facing a situation that is "very complex, sensitive, and dangerous."

"The ceasefire must be maintained, because millions of lives are at stake," he said.

"If the fighting breaks out again, the people will no longer have resilience," he added.

Spoljaric-Egger also warned that ignoring international law in Gaza and Sudan would send signals to about 450 armed groups and non-state actors that anything is allowed, while warning that their power is now reinforced by the advancement of new technology.