A South Asian
UNSG in 2006?
By Dr Shireen M. Mazari
Ms Rocca, the US Assistant Secretary
of State for South Asia, is once again visiting
Pakistan. She comes at a time when increasing revelations
about abuse of Muslim prisoners and the Holy Qur'an
by US authorities in Guantanamo Bay are impacting
Muslim civil societies across the globe and especially
in Pakistan which is also seeing the US abuse Pakistani
air space ad nauseam with no sensitivity to Pakistani
sovereignty or even domestic political concerns.
While the US has managed to control Newsweek, the
charge of inhuman treatment of incarcerated Muslims
and desecration of the Holy Qur'an is being leveled
from too many quarters, including International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), for it to go
away. Yet the US has done almost nothing to punish
the perpetrators. Instead it has continued to deny
a reality, hoping that pressure tactics will silence
the issue. All that has happened is that Newsweek
has further lost any credibility it may have had
internationally.
But Ms. Rocca also comes at a time when Pakistanis
are lost in a thick cloud of feel-good atmospherics
that surrounds the dialogue process today between
Pakistan and India, despite little movement in substantive
terms over the core issue. So she may have an easier
time putting through the US perspective on Pakistan-India
bilateral relations, including explaining why the
US is hell-bent on undermining the strategic nuclear
balance in South Asia by providing India with missile
defense and other destabilizing weapon systems!
That is if any one in Pakistan cares to actually
ask these questions.
Naturally, with all these developments, few in Pakistan
are aware of a very important issue that is now
developing and one which will have a major impact,
regionally and globally for Asia in general and
for South Asia in particular. This issue is the
selection-election of a new Secretary General of
the UN, in 2006. This time it is Asia's turn and
there is a strong South Asian contender in Sri Lanka's
Jayantha Dhanapala - a leading retired diplomat,
known for his active international role especially
in relation to arms control and disarmament and
the championing of non-discriminatory global norms.
His remarkable Presidency of the 1995 Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) Review and Extension Conference led
to the passage of a set of decisions being adopted
without a vote. The altercations besetting the present
ongoing NPT Review Conference reflect the scale
of Dhanapala's achievement in 1995. This success
was a major reason for his being invited to serve
as a member of the Canberra Commission along with
17 other international personalities who came together
and published an important report on nuclear disarmament
and proliferation in 1996. He also has vast experience
within the UN organization itself and Kofi Annan
appointed him as Under Secretary General from 1998
to 2003 to undertake the re-establishment of the
Department of Disarmament after the 1997 UN reforms.
His political experience complements his diplomatic
one, as he is currently the Secretary-General of
the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process
in Sri Lanka as well as Senior Adviser to the Sri
Lankan President.
Dhanapala's substantive credentials stand out on
their own merit and he reflects Sri Lanka's longstanding
tradition of education and internationalism. But
for Pakistan it becomes critical to lend support
to a Sri Lankan candidate because of the strong
strategic relationship the two countries share and
also the importance of having a Secretary General
from one of the smaller South Asian states that
understands what it means to live alongside a major
and ambitious power. For South Asia itself, it becomes
extremely advantageous to have the international
focus on the region - allowing for people across
the globe to become aware of the richness of the
region as well as its problems.
So far Asia has had only one Secretary General -
U Thant (1961-1971) from Myanmar in Southeast Asia.
Therefore, by any logic, a nuclearized South Asia
should have a turn at putting one of its own in
that seat. Here Pakistan's support becomes critical
because we can lobby with the Arab world and other
friends amongst the developing states. Contrary
to popular assumptions, Pakistan does have influence
amongst some important developing states - especially
in terms of global issues.
Even though India may not be too keen to have a
non-Indian South Asian candidate for the post of
Secretary General, it seems difficult for India
to openly oppose Sri Lankan candidature - although
India will have a tough time in that a rival candidate
is the present Thai Foreign Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister, Dr Surakiat Sathirathai. While both
Pakistan and India are seeking closer links with
ASEAN, it does not suit our interests to support
someone from outside South Asia when a South Asian
candidate is present - and a highly qualified one.
Equally, while Sri Lanka also has close relations
with the US, Thailand has a strong military relationship
with the US. Also, Thailand has been criticized
internationally for its handling of its Muslim minority
in three of its southern provinces.
So by all counts Dhanapala is a serious contender,
unlike the earlier Sri Lankan candidate, Tyrone
Fernando who was Sri Lankan Foreign Minister for
two years from 2001, but who did not have the depth
of international experience that Dhanapala has.
Many young academics who heard him in Lahore earlier
this year at the RCSS (Regional Centre for Strategic
Studies) international workshop came away highly
impressed by his two presentations on the issues
of nuclear proliferation and the UN and disarmament
- both in terms of content and presentation. Some
youngsters felt he was one of the best speakers
amongst a whole gala of academics and analysts.
For Pakistan it is essential to come out openly
to canvass for our Sri Lankan friend, not only because
of our bilateral ties but also because of the South
Asia factor. After all, only last week we saw the
parliamentarians from South Asia recommend an eventual
Union of South Asia on the European Union pattern,
at the SAFMA-sponsored meeting in Pakistan. If we
are seeking a more viable SAARC framework and closer
South Asian integration, then we need to show that
commitment by taking up Dhanapala's campaign proactively
and in advance, rather than vacillating and hedging
around the issue.
Despite the flexing of muscle power by the US, the
Secretary General continues to be critical within
the UN because he can take peace initiatives, bring
forth global issues center stage and impact the
legitimacy or otherwise of parties and perspectives
to a conflict. His annual report highlights global
developments and reveals international priorities
for the future. His selection of personnel also
impacts UN discourse and development.
In the immediate future we have some critical issues
that will be raised within the UN - ranging from
nuclear proliferation to terrorism to Iraq. Other
non-traditional security issues are also going to
find more space within the UN agenda in the coming
years. A South Asian voice through the Secretary
General will be a major plus for this region as
well as for Asia and the international community.
Pakistan should take the lead in supporting Sri
Lanka to reach this goal.
(The writer is Director General of the Institute
of Strategic Studies, Islamabad. Courtesy The News)
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