UK, France support India as permanent member of UNSC

United Nations, Nov 13: The UK, France and Nepal have supported India's candidature as a permanent member of a reformed UN Security Council as member nations expressed frustration at the lack of progress on long-pending reforms in the powerful UN body. Some 50 nations participating in a General Assembly session here yesterday said Security Council reform is long overdue and is needed to reflect current political realities.

Introducing the debate on 'Equitable Representation and Increase in Security Council Membership', UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa reaffirmed that reform of the UN body is one of his top priorities. India has reiterated the urgent need to achieve reform of the powerful UN body by 2015, saying a text should be tabled for the member states to begin "actual negotiations" on UNSC reform and expansion as it described an unreformed Security Council as a "seriously impaired organ".

UK's Ambassador to the UN, Mark Lyall Grant said his government supported new permanent member seats for Germany, Brazil, India, and Japan as well as permanent African representation and expansion of the non-permanent seats. He said disagreement on whether or not to extend veto rights was an obstacle to real progress on reform. France's delegate, Francois Xavier Deniau also expressed support for Germany, Brazil, India, and Japan as permanent members and a strengthened presence of African countries among permanent and non-permanent members.

The Nepali delegate also said permanent membership for India, Japan, Germany and Brazil would reflect present-day realities. He added that the historical wrong done to Africa must be corrected, and developing states must be represented while non-permanent members must be from all regions and sub-regions.

Kutesa said the process has been "long and winding" and called for a renewed commitment from member states, underscoring that a broadly representational, efficient and transparent Security Council would further enhance its legitimacy and the implementation of its decisions.

Many nations participating in the debate yesterday noted that it had been 50 years since the council underwent its first and only reform, and almost 10 years since the 2005 World Summit, where world leaders had agreed to initiate a reform process.

PTI