Security Council and veto powers

Security Council and veto powers

For this reason, all eyes are on the UN Security Council permanent members and their positions on the issue, taking into account that any of the five (the U.S., the UK, France, Russia and China) could in theory veto any proposed resolution.

The demise of the former Yugoslavia and the wars that ensued prompted the UN Security Council to pass more than 150 resolutions dealing with the Balkan crises, with only three instances of a permanent member’s veto.

In December 1994, Russia blocked the passing of a resolution calling for a more strict control of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) border with Bosnia and Croatia, due to the difficult humanitarian situation in the Bihać area.

In February 1999, China vetoed a resolution extending the mandate of the UN peacekeepers in Macedonia, saying the regional situation no longer threatened Macedonia’s peace and stability.

The principal reason behind China’s veto, however, was Macedonian recognition of Taiwan as an independent state. China broke off diplomatic relations with Macedonia and vetoed the resolution, a vote that saw the Russian representative abstain.

On June 30, 2002, a day before the establishment of the permanent International Court of Justice, the United States voted against a resolution extending the UN mandate in Bosnia, in order to protect its troops from standing trials before a court the U.S. did not recognize. 

In March 1999, a resolution calling for an urgent end of NATO’s campaign against Serbia also failed at the UN, this time due to the majority opposition.

Proposed resolutions have been vetoed 27 times since 1989, 20 times by the U.S., and four and three times by Russia and China respectively.

In the first two decades of the UN Security Council’s existence it was Moscow that used its veto powers the most, so much so that the Soviet ambassador to the UN, Vyacheslav Molotov, was nicknamed “Mister Nyet”.