British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett (R), in the rotating role of President of the Security Council, speaks during a meeting as the United Nations Security Council holds an open debate exploring the relationship between energy, security and climate in New York, April 17, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

UNITED NATIONS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council held on Tuesday its first-ever open debate on climate change as some delegates raised doubts over whether the council was the proper forum to discuss the issue.

    The meeting, initiated by Britain with an aim to study the relationship between energy, security and climate, was chaired by British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, whose country is holding the presidency of the 15-member council for April.

    Beckett told the council that the international community needed to recognize that there was a security impact from climate change, and begin to build a shared understanding of the relationship between energy, security and climate.

    Speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, Farukh Amil, Pakistan's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said the council's primary responsibility is for the maintenance of international peace and security as set out in the UN Charter.

    "Other issues, including those relating to economic and social development, are assigned by the charter to the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly," he said.

    He added that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the appropriate forum to deal with risks linked with climate change.

    South African's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo told the council that the impact of climate change does not as yet directly threaten international peace and security.

    The issues of energy and climate change are "first and foremost of a developmental nature" and can be dealt with regionally and in the General Assembly, he said, adding that the mandate of the council does not deal with such matters.

    Kumalo voiced the hope that the debate "will not in any way elevate the issue of climate or environment to being an agenda item of the Security Council."

    Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, said climate change may have certain security implications, but generally speaking, it is in essence an issue of sustainable development.

    "Discussing climate change at the Security Council will not help countries in their efforts in mitigation, Liu said. "And it is hard for the council to assist developing countries affected by climate change to find more effective adaptations."

    "The developing countries believe that the Security Council neither has the expertise in handling climate change, nor is the right decision-making place for extensive participation," he said.