US faces possibility of being expelled from the United Nations

The US announced yesterday that it intends to oppose the UN Security Council expansion vote to be held by the General Assembly and urged nations not vote on this issue.

Pointing out that the United Nations General Assembly is far from united on how to expand the Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli July 12 strongly urged nations not to vote on the issue at this time.

Tahir-Kheli, who is senior advisor to the secretary of state for U.N. reform, said that the United States will work with all nations on enlarging the Security Council, "but only in the right way and at the right time."

The General Assembly is discussing a resolution on Security Council expansion proposed by four countries seeking permanent membership -- Brazil, India, Japan and Germany -- and 23 other countries.

Any reform plan to the Security Council requires a 2/3 majority of the the UN General Assembly. But, after that, the five permanent member countries of the UN Security Council also need to approve the change. If one of these vote-wielding countries (US, China, UK, France, Russia) do not approve the change, then the change to the UN reform will not take place. However, UN Spokesman Farhan Haq when asked if a country that opposes the reform can have its membership suspended by the UN General Assembly? Haq told ArabicNews.com that this can be done, however, this question is "speculative."

Haq acknowledged that Yugoslavia's membership in the United Nations Security Council seat was suspended by a simple majority vote by the UN General Assembly. He said issues of membership suspension are up to the General Assembly to decide on.

Yesterday, the US ambassador to the UN said that the US was concerned about the Security Council's "efficiency" as a result of an expansion of membership. The US did not express concern about the UN Security Council's non-democratic and non-representative nature. African and other countries are demanding an end to the veto power held by the five member states - a relic of the Second World War.

This whole issue raises the real possibility that if the United States opposes the UN Security Council reform to make it more inclusive and a democratic institution, then the UN General Assembly members are capable of suspending the membership of the US and or any other member country seen to be preventing the reform and progress of the United Nations.