India seeks transparency in working of UN's sanctions committees

UNITED NATIONS: India on Wednesday criticised the UN Security Council's veto-wielding members for obstructing the designation of terrorists without giving any explanation, apparently hitting out at China for repeatedly blocking its bid to list Pakistan-based Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

HIGHLIGHTS

• India has criticised UN Security Council's veto-wielding members for obstructing the designation of terrorists without giving any explanation
• Most of the time, one does not even know which countries have exercised their veto: India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin

Participating in an open debate of the Security Council on its working methods, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said, "Most of the time, one does not even know which countries have exercised their veto."

He said the veto power being exercised by members of the Security Council who have been anonymously blocking the designation of several terrorist without giving any explanation.
Though Akbaruddin did not mention the name of any country, it is well known that China in the past has used its veto power when it came to designating terrorists or extremist groups having links with the Pakistani establishment.

A veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India's move at the UN to designate Azhar a terrorist under the al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council.

Akbaruddin said there were 14 sanctions committees, which cumulatively listed 678 individuals and 385 entities subject to such measures.Yet, each of those decisions had been made "beyond the gaze" of public knowledge, with no explanation of the inputs that had informed them, he said.

"For example, in practical terms, decisions of these sanctions committees can be placed on hold or blocked by any of the 15 Member States of these Committees," he said.

"The challenges related to the working methods of the sanctions committees were not merely related to transparency and accountability and in that context a case existed for the Council to address the anomalies in the committees' working methods," he said.

The anomalies not only affected the efficiency and credibility of the work of the Council, but also impacted the larger membership that was required to implement its decisions, he said."It is in this spirit that my country along with so many others have called for the reform of the Security Council," Akbaruddin said.

His view was shared by Bolivia's representative, who said the success of sanctions hinged on cooperation by all member states.Yet the details of those regimes were not easily accessible or transparent, including for States being sanctioned.