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| Najib is interviewed by CNN journalist Fareed Zakaria at the Council of Foreign Relations during United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2013. – Reuters pic, September 28, 2013. |
In a United Nations General Assembly week spiked with breakthroughs in talks on Syria and Iran, Malaysia’s bid for a coveted UN Security Council seat was previewed and praised when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak spoke at a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) event in New York.
Western and Asean diplomats who attended the discussion about "moderate Muslims" and the Global Movement of Moderates, led by CNN host and foreign policy expert Fareed Zakaria, applauded Najib for his “rational arguments defending the voices of moderates” at a time of deepening religious divisions and conflict around the world.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, agreed that Najib previewed what they described as a “strong case, a substantial downpayment” for Malaysia’s bid to join the UN’s top decision-making body that has a mandate to enforce global peace and security.
The prime minister argued for “dialogue over confrontation, negotiation over conflict”, in a year when permanent members of the Council such as the United States and France have been grappling with suitable responses to the violence in Egypt and Syria.
While the Security Council has five permanent members – a legacy of the post-1945 world – and retain veto power over resolutions for action by UN member states, the other 10 rotating member-states still play a key role in debating and deciding its binding resolutions that include peacekeeping operations (often dubbed the ‘blue helmets’ brigade), authorising military action and establishing sanctions (as is currently imposed on Iran).
