Sept. 22 (UPI) — In the wake of the United Nations Security Council being unable to either prevent war in Ukraine or implement measures to end it, Mexico on Wednesday proposed to world leaders the establishment of a new committee to mediate a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Mexico’s foreign affairs minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon put forward the proposal during his speech in New York at the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly, stating the committee would include Pope Francis, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
He said the purpose of the committee is to create dialogue and peace in Ukraine through establishing a peace mechanism that will allow for mediation between Kyiv and Moscow.
The committee, under the U.N. framework, will also support and further Guterres’ efforts to build trust between the warring nations in order to lessen tensions and end the war, he said, adding that Mexico will continue with consultations with other member states on the proposal with hopes of gaining their support for the mechanism.
“We must all provide a complementary mechanism so that we can interact with the parties to this conflict so that we can bring about the necessary mediation,” he said.
The proposal was made days after Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
During a press conference on Sept. 16, Modi told Putin that “today’s era is not an era of war” while calling for democracy, diplomacy and dialogue with sights on ending the war.
During the face-to-face meeting, Putin also acknowledged India’s resistance to his war, stating, “I know about your position on the conflict in Ukraine and I know about your concerns.”
“And we want all of these to end as soon as possible,” he said.
The denunciation of the war from Modi comes as New Delhi has sought to maintain its relationship with Moscow and has been reluctant to overtly condemn Russia over the conflict.
Casaubon on Wednesday said the war began and continues because the 15-member U.N. Security Council “has been unable to fulfill its mandate.”
He criticized the council on which Mexico is a non-permanent member for being unable to launch any diplomatic process to kick start negotiations, ensure that necessary humanitarian assistance is delivered nor has openly supported the efforts of Guterres or other nations on the matter.
The Mexican minister blamed the “paralysis of the Security Council” on its “abuse of the so-called right to a veto” by its five permanent members of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
In April, the United Nations passed Resolution 76/262 that triggers a General Assembly meeting when a veto is invoked so member states can debate, scrutinize and comment on its use.
Casaubon said this is a move in the right direction, but veto power needs to continue to be reformed so it can only be used in situations of mass atrocities.
“We must now make a decision on whether or not to take further steps to avoid this system from suffering greater paralysis when facing mass suffering,” he said.
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