Benin to support India's bid for UNSC seat

New Delhi, Mar 4 (ANI): The President of the African nation of Benin, Boni Yayi, on Wednesday pledged support to India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council seat.

Yayi, who is on a five-day official visit to India, said his country looked at India as a successful democracy.

"We would like to support India in its candidature for the Security Council of the United Nations. We believe that we will be able to create a better order in the world with a more reinforced Security Council," said Yayi.

Talks have been going on to expand the powerful five-nation UN permanent Security Council and accommodate newer member countries. India is vying for a place.

Authorized by the U.N. charter to impose sanctions and dispatch peacekeeping forces, the Security Council currently has five permanent veto-holding members -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.

It also has ten members with no veto power who are elected on a regional basis for two-year terms before being replaced by others. The number was set in 1965, after standing at six since the United Nations was founded after World War Two.

Developing countries have long resented the clout of veto-holders on the council, whose composition stems from the post-war balance of power. Most nations agree the body needs to be enlarged, but there is no consensus on how.

One proposal that has long been discussed would give Germany, Japan, India, Brazil and two African states permanent seats, but without an immediate right of veto. There would also be four new nonpermanent seats from around the world.

A rival plan would add ten non-permanent seats and is backed by, among others, Italy and Pakistan, reluctant to see Germany and India respectively get permanent seats. (ANI)