Kuala lumpur: Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Monday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on proposals to restructure the veto power held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC). This initiative arises from concerns regarding the deliberate obstruction in implementing resolutions related to the Gaza issue, despite their majority approval in the UN General Assembly. According to Kuwait News Agency, during a parliamentary questioning session, Hasan announced that Malaysia and ASEAN countries are advocating for a comprehensive reform of the veto power held by the five permanent members of the Security Council: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the US. Hasan emphasized that the veto is often used even in cases where resolutions are unanimously adopted in the UN General Assembly, which delays implementation and undermines international justice. ASEAN is striving to address this issue. Hasan highlighted the success of the ASEAN-GCC s ummit in issuing a joint statement on Gaza for the first time as an achievement for Malaysian diplomacy, noting that ASEAN countries had previously struggled to agree on a unified statement on the Palestinian issue. He also mentioned that Malaysia organized a joint conference with Japan and South Korea to discuss the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, emphasizing that Malaysia is strengthening its cooperation with like-minded countries to consistently express its position in international forums. Malaysia is set to chair ASEAN, which comprises ten countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar, starting January 1, 2025, under an annual rotation system among member states.
