"The problem of the UN is the paralysis of the Security Council, due to the opposition of the great powers, which have the right of veto. Once Russia vetoes Ukraine, once the US vetoes Gaza, so the crises are not resolved'. Maurizio Massari, Italy's permanent representative to the United Nations, told ANSA on the sidelines of the ambassadors' conference at the Farnesina.
'There is a lot of talk about reform to unblock this impasse,' he observed, 'but the reality is that the medicine could be worse than the disease. Talking about enlargement in this situation, with new permanent members with veto rights, would paralyse the machine even more. Italy is for enlargement with more non-permanent members, even longer ones, to make the Council more representative. Effectiveness depends on relations between the great powers. As long as there is this strong opposition between the powers, it will be difficult to think of a Security Council that takes decisions. And even when they are made, they are very often not implemented on the ground'.
The role of the UN 'can be rebuilt if there is some recognition of the relationship between the powers. The two crises in Ukraine and the Middle East have dealt a severe blow to the political role of the UN. Which on other dossers can rebuild this role of political mediation: the opportunities are there, one is Sudan, a forgotten war, where no one is taking responsibility for resolving the crisis. There, I believe the UN could exercise a more incisive role. The other could be Syria: at the Council there are not the divisions that exist for Gaza and Ukraine, but there is a consensus to let the Syrians lead the transition, on the basis of Resolution 2254'.
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