Is the UN obsolete? Lavrov says time has come to get its act together

© RIA NOVOSTI / Sergiy Kuznecov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

The UN would be effective in settling international disputes, if some member-states didn't try to use it for dominating world affairs, Russian Foreign Minister believes, adding that such efforts led to bombings in Serbia, war in Iraq and chaos in Libya.

Sergey Lavrov has called for the UN, about to celebrate its 70th anniversary, to be an independent and effective leader in global decision-making, despite attempts by some of its members to usurp the organization's functions.

"It's time to answer the question: do we really want the see the UN an effective and influential instrument of preserving peace and security or are we ready to allow it turn into the arena of propagandist struggle, with the UN being excluded from the process of finding key solutions to international problems," Lavrov said, at the open debate for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), held on Monday in New York.

Lavrov listed episodes in recent history, which he sees as violations of the UN charter, caused by a will to dominate world affairs.

"It's enough to remember the bombings of Serbia, the occupation of Iraq under a false pretext... and the rude manipulation of the Security Council mandate leading to destruction and on-going chaos in Libya," the minister said.

The Russian Foreign Minister has denounced attempts at either turning the UNSC into a body for unconditional and bulk approval of decisions made by the "leader," or for making it steer away completely from decision-making.

Lavrov talked of "unsavory methods... such as massive pressure on sovereign states, attempts at imposing on them decisions and standards in politics, economics and ideology."

"For those unwilling to obey there are techniques of inspiring inner conflicts and carrying out regime change operations," the foreign minister added. "One example is open encouragement of the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine."

The UNSC resolution, clamping down on funding of the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), initiated by Russia and approved earlier this month is one of the positive examples of the council's independent work, Lavrov believes. The resolution on eliminating chemical weapons in Syria is another such example, according to the minister.