India has full credentials to be a permanent UNSC member: Prez

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) President Pratibha Patil todaysaid reforms in international bodies like the United Nationsshould be initiated with a sense of urgency and India has fullcredentials to be a permanent member of the Security Council.

Accepting the credentials of six newly appointed envoysfor India at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Patil said fordealing effectively with global challenges, the agenda forreforms of international bodies and multilateral financialinstitutions should proceed ahead with a sense of urgency.

She said India has full credentials to be a permanentmember of the UN Security Council.

The President also referred to the constructivecontribution of the Indian diaspora to countries in which theylive.

Welcoming the envoys, Patil observed that this group ofambassadors presenting credentials was "gender balanced" asempowerment of women was an important global objective andalso an important national objective in India.

The envoys who presented their credentials were-- MohamadSharari El Bakheit El-Fayez, Ambassador of Jordan, JanHanderson, High Commissioner of New Zealand, Theresa Cutajar,High Commissioner of Malta, Chandradath Singh, HighCommissioner of Trinidad and Tobago, Pierre Vaesen, Ambassadorof Belgium and Karen Tan, High Commissioner of Singapore.

The President conveyed her condolences to the New Zealandenvoy on the lives lost in the recent earthquake in thatcountry.

She said that natural disasters remind the internationalcommunity of the need to continuously focus on developingrobust early warning systems and disaster preparedness.

The President referred to issues like financialstability, food security and terrorism which also requirecollective global action.