A task force comprised of Croatia, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Chile and Tunisia on April 20 handed UN General Assembly president Sheikha Haya an 18-page report presenting the results of the three-month consultations, estimates of member countries' positions on five main topics, and progress notes which should provide the basis for a debate on the next stage - negotiations on a reform of the Security Council, if they take place.
Croatia's permanent representative to the UN, Mirjana Mladineo, who is also a vice president of the General Assembly, led consultations on regional representation in the Security Council.
The progress notes say that Security Council enlargement should reflect countries' contribution to the keeping of international peace and security and to the accomplishment of other UN goals. It should also reflect equal geographic representation and particular attention should be paid to the current underrepresentation of developing and small countries.
The report does not prejudge the prospects of new permanent Security Council members but proposes the creation of new non-permanent seats as transitional categories. The report also offers a number of variants for the duration of non-permanent members' mandates and for the possible restriction of the veto right, which the Security Council's current five permanent members have.
With regard to regional representation, the report proposes that future candidacies for the Security Council should be made directly by member countries or that a regional consensus should be reached on the matter.
With regard to Security Council enlargement, the report proposes limited, big and medium enlargement.
The report also proposes methods to improve the Council's performance, underlining the need for an improved accession of non-member countries.
The task force which held the consultations will meet on May 3 to discuss the comments and reactions to the report.
Croatia will continue to actively participate in the debate on the proposals. Its engagement in this and other areas of the UN's work contribute to Croatia's visibility and help its candidacy for non-permanent membership of the Security Council, on which the General Assembly is due to decide in September, a Croatian source said.