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India wants UNSC expansion done quickly

September 30, 2005 10:11 IST

India has pledged to take initiative for an early successful conclusion the process of expansion of the 15-member UN Security Council in both permanent and non permanent categories by working with member states to achieve 'broadest possible' agreement.

"To overcome the marginalisation of the developing countries, their empowerment through reforms of the Security Council remains imperative," India's Ambassador to UN Nirupam Sen told the 191-member General Assembly on Thursday.

Expressing disappointment at the lack of emphasis on trade and development in the Outcome Document adopted by the just concluded world leaders' summit, Sen proposed creation of Coalition of the Willing not to wage war but to take joint initiatives in the poor countries in the areas of agriculture, water management and public health.

Intervening in the debate on Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on the work of organisation, Sen asserted that for any satisfactory progress in UN reforms, the question of distribution of economic power as also political power, of which the Council is the locus, needs to be addressed.

It is precisely the debate on the Council reforms that gave synergy to the process of United Nations reforms and lack of sufficient progress led to 'some of the energy and colour' going out of the institutional reforms, he told the delegates.

India, Japan, Germany and Brazil, known as G-4, have decided to continue their efforts to get their framework resolution -- which calls for addition of six permanent and four non-permanent members -- through the General Assembly.

The four had introduced the resolution in the last session of the assembly but did not bring it to vote for lack of requisite two-thirds majority after the African Union failed to fully back it. Now they plan to reintroduce their resolution, which lapsed at the end of the session in September.

Emphasising the need to precisely define terrorism in the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, now before an Assembly committee, Sen said the objective is a criminal law instrument that would facilitate judicial cooperation, mutual assistance and extradition.

"Either the General Assembly would have to adopt a multilateral negotiated document or leave UN Security Council to continue to deal with this in a partial piecemeal manner, governed by political imperative of the moment," he warned, stressing the need for early adoption of the Convention.

Pointing out that India has an extensive bilateral programme of economic and scientific cooperation with Africans through grants and credits, which encompass the vital areas of infrastructure and public health, Sen said New Delhi would welcome mobilisation of greater resources through the UN.

"One cannot go on talking of cancellation of debts (of poor countries) but restrict this to IMF money and include recycled aid and debt," he said, while emphasising the need

for transfer of resources and environment friendly technologies for sustainable development of the developing nations.
Dharam Shourie in United Nations
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