Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
India has said any reform of the United Nations Security Council that creates permanent members without veto powers would leave them with “second-class” status while the five existing permanent members retain control over decision-making, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Parvathaneni, said all permanent members of a reformed Security Council must have veto powers for as long as the provision exists. He said fairness and justice required equal rights and responsibilities for every permanent member.
advertisement
“India’s position on the veto is principled and well known… We reiterate that as long as the veto exists, it must be held by all permanent members of a reformed Council,” Parvathaneni said on Monday, according to PTI.
Addressing an Inter-Governmental Negotiations plenary debate on the veto in the UN General Assembly, he said expanding the Security Council by “creating another category of long-term members without the veto effectively makes them ‘second-class’ members and would not change the decision-making dynamic of the P5”.
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are the five permanent members of the 15-member Security Council and have veto powers. The Council also has 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
India has consistently sought an expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership. It has warned that reform efforts would be close to failure if they focused only on increasing the number of non-permanent members. New Delhi has argued that the Council, established in 1945, is not suitable for the 21st century and does not reflect current geopolitical realities. India has also maintained that it deserves permanent membership.
India is seeking a non-permanent seat for the 2028-29 term. Elections are scheduled for June next year, when India and Tajikistan will contest the sole seat allocated to the Asia-Pacific Group, PTI reported. India last served on the Council in 2021-22, its eighth term, after holding seats in 1950-51, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1977-78, 1984-85, 1991-92 and 2011-12.
India’s position is that Security Council reform must expand both categories of membership and give all permanent members equal powers, including the veto for as long as it remains in place.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
