UN General Assembly
1955

34. Experience has shown that the veto has been frequently used when applications for membership have been dealt with. As my personal opinion, I would say that it would have been preferable that the General Assembly alone should decide on the admission of new Members. Now, however, we have the rule that the Security Council’s opinion is required, and that the concurring votes of the permanent members of the Council are necessary for a positive decision. Thus the admission of new Members has hitherto been extremely difficult. By all appearances, however, the principle of universality will soon be accepted, and applied in practice. It may even be assumed that most of the States which still remain outside the United Nations will have been admitted to the Organization before a review conference has had time to meet. The question of the veto in the Security Council in so far as the admission of new Members is concerned will then have lost its practical importance.