India, Brazil, S Africa demand urgent reform of Security Council

New Delhi, Sep 30 (UNI) The India Brazil South Africa(IBSA) Dialogue Forum has called for urgent reform of the Security Council that would include its expansion in both categories of membership, permanent and non-permanent.

They said the body should be made ''more democratic, legitimate, representative and responsive.'' The demand came after a meeting of External Affairs Minister Pranab Kumar Mukherjee with two other Members of the Forum--Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Brazil Celso Amorim, and of South Africa Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma-- in New York yesterday on the occasion of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

A report on Mr Mukherjee's meeting with the IBSA foreign Ministers was released here by the External Affairs Ministry.

Mr Mukherjee is on a five-day visit to New York.

The IBSA members reiterated their commitment to continue to jointly pursue a decision on the Security Council expansion.

The Ministers expressed satisfaction at the decision of the General Assembly to commence intergovernmental negotiations, based on proposals of Member States, in the informal plenary of the UN General Assembly, no later than February 28, 2009.

The three countries exchanged views on a number for issues on the international agenda and discussed topics related to the India-Brazil-South Africa Dialogue Forum (IBSA).

The three Ministers reaffirmed their commitment for further strengthening of IBSA and their joint resolve to enhance coordinated positions on global political and multilateral issues of importance, especially in terms of those issues which have a major impact on developing countries, such as the imperative to reform Global Governance institutions to be more representative and democratic.

They further discussed improved mechanisms to streamline and fast-track the disbursement of funds from the IBSA Trust Fund to identified beneficiaries from least developed countries in order to make progress with the implementation of projects.

In this regard, the three IBSA partners approved the review report and expressed satisfaction that the IBSA Facility Fund for Poverty and Hunger Alleviation, which is a tangible example of South-South cooperation, has approved support projects, in addition to existing projects in Haiti (solid waste management) and Guinea-Bissau (agriculture development).

The Ministers noted with satisfaction that most of the Working Groups of IBSA had met or would be meeting in India in September-October, 2009, prior to the forthcoming Third IBSA Summit. They welcomed the new agreements/MOUs that are envisaged to be signed at the Summit.

They also noted that preparations for the Third IBSA Summit were proceeding satisfactorily, and the Focal Points will meet in New Delhi on October 10, and if necessary, prior to that, to finalise arrangements for the Summit.

UNI NAZ MIR DS1640