Paris announces UK's accession to the initiative to protect civilians from mass atrocities

Paris, 22 Sep (KUNA) -- French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barre announced on Tuesday that the United Kingdom has officially joined the initiative to protect civilians from mass atrocities by calling on the permanent members of the UN Security Council to suspend the use of the veto in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and widespread war crimes.

Barre stated on his account on the social media platform X that "the United Kingdom has become the 128th country to join the efforts led by France and Mexico to protect civilian populations from mass atrocities."

He added that this was achieved through a proposal to suspend the use of the veto by the permanent members of the UN Security Council in cases of genocide, crimes against humanity, and widespread war crimes.

The minister noted that "the veto must not prevent the United Nations from taking action to protect human lives."

He further stated that "the United Kingdom's support provides us with additional momentum to persuade other countries to join this initiative."

In this regard, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement welcoming the decision by France and Mexico, which reflects the determination of the United Kingdom and other supporting countries to protect human dignity and worth, and to promote a more effective, action-oriented multilateralism that places people at the forefront of priorities.

The statement confirmed that "over the past four months, 21 countries from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia have announced their adherence to the Political Declaration on Suspending the Use of the Veto in the Event of Mass Atrocities," which was first presented by France and Mexico in 2015.

The statement affirmed the commitment of the 128 signatory countries to the initiative to ensure that the Security Council can fully discharge its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.

The French-Mexican initiative on restricting the veto, officially known as the "Political Declaration on Suspending the Use of the Veto in the Event of Mass Atrocities," was established in 2015, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, to prevent the adoption of resolutions condemning or intervening to stop widespread crimes during the Syrian crisis and in other conflict zones.

(END) MB/AMS