The top Leaders of the five permanent members of the Security Council of the United Nations held its first historic summit at the Waldorf Hotel in New York on September 7, 2000. The summit was attended by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and U.S. President Bill Clinton.




The Security Counsel summit, proposed by China, is the first of its kind in the history of UN since its founding.




During the meeting, President Jiang thanked his counterparts for responding to his proposal and said that the purpose of the summit is to affirm and reflect the importance of the UN and their support for the organization in a bid to strengthen the UN?s and the Security Council's role.




Jiang pointed out that complicated contradictions and conflicts were endlessly occurring in the rapidly changing world, and the purpose of the UN Charter has not yet been realized, therefore the international community has greater expectations from the Security Council. He said that history and reality have proven that only with the support of the five permanent members can the UN and the Security Council play a positive role in important international affairs. He noted that in the past 10 years, the five permanent members have played an important role in securing the independence of Namibia, promoting the settlement of the war between Iran and Iraq, the Gulf Crisis, the Cambodian issue, and handling the nuclear crisis between India and Pakistan. Jiang proposed at the meeting that the Security Counsel should observe the following four principles under the new situation: mutual respect and equal treatment; expanding consensus and seeking common ground while reserving differences; increasing exchanges and coordination; taking into account the interests of the whole and promoting cooperation. Jiang said that the five nations should respect the aspirations and expectations of all the UN member states and maintain contacts with various nations the world over. Only then can they fulfill their role in world affairs and win respect from all UN members.




The top leaders of the United States, Russia, France and Britain spoke highly of the summit initiated by China, believing that the summit is of importance both historically and realistically. During the meeting, the top leaders of the five nations had an in-depth exchange of views on UN affairs and major regional and world issues and reached extensive consensus. A Summit Document was released at the end of the meeting in which the five leaders reiterated the core role of the five permanent members of the Security Council, which includes a commitment to increasing the leading role the UN plays in safeguarding world peace and security, and its capability to keep peace; a pledge to take measures to further reform the UN, revitalize management and replenish its human resources; and to reaffirm financial commitments to the UN The Document also commits to defending the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, ensuring the UN authority and strengthening its role.




Before the summit, President Jiang met with French President Jacques Chirac and exchanged views with him on bilateral relations and relations between China and the European Union.