STATEMENT

New York

CARICOM statement by Ambassador Webson to the ING Securty Council reform session

1. Mr. Chairman, I take the floor on behalf of the member states of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

1. Let me firstly welcome the presence of the President of the General Assembly and thank him for the priority that he has accorded to the question of Security Council Reform and for his demonstrated commitment and determination to move the process forward.

1. CARICOM thanks you Mr. Chairman for convening this briefing session today and for providing us with an outline of how you intend to conduct the 11th round of intergovernmental negotiations. Let me also at this stage, thank you for your leadership and for the efforts which you are making to move this process to the path of text based negotiation.

1. We welcome the framework which you have provided, upon which you intend to hold strategy sessions so that member states may provide inputs in the effort to produce a negotiating text that is member state driven and we appreciate that you have taken as your basis resolution 62/557 through which member states agreed on the five key elements on which reform of the Security Council should be conducted.

1. We view this framework as an effort to establish a basis for real give and take negotiations, as we in CARICOM among others, have been calling for. We will of course study the framework and will come back to you with our inputs as you have requested.

1. Let me do however state that the position of CARICOM on this important question, is well known to those that have been following this issue and has been reiterated time and again throughout the 10 rounds of the IGN, nonetheless we will in keeping with your directive, provide these in writing to you.

1. On the issue of the negotiating text Mr. Chairman, let me reiterate CARICOM’s view that the text should be a workable text, it should not be a compilation and should be a text on which we conduct give and take negotiations on the actual positions of member states.

1. In closing Mr. Chairman, let me once again assure of CARICOM’s support as we move into the 11th round of negotiations. We hold no illusions about the challenges that lay before us as we move this process forward, however we look forward to the approaching 70th anniversary of the founding of the UN as a time when we bring long awaited reform to the Security Council.