'UNSC expansion has to wait till other UN reforms'

New Delhi, Mar 02: US President George Bush today (Mar 02, 2006) said his country has not been supportive of India's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as expanding the council would come in the way of other reforms of the international body.

"Other reforms will not go forward" if the proposed UNSC expansion, under which India was seeking a permanent membership, was taken up first, Mr Bush said while addressing a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

He was replying to a question why the US, the oldest democracy, was not endorsing the claim of India, the largest democracy in the world.

Explaining the 'overall reforms' which the US wanted to be carried out first, he said the UN was a 'very important international body' which should be empowered to spend its resources in a better way to produce results.

The UN Human Rights Commission had to be reformed in a way that would achieve 'significant results', he said.

UNI