India demands a permanent UN seat

Sharma spoke about the country’s promotion of United Nations’ principles and its contribution in several fields of concern to the world community including peacekeeping, human rights and the fight against apartheid.“There is a clear and categorical national consensus in India cutting across the entire political spectrum that India could appropriately shoulder the responsibilities of permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council,” he told the General Assembly.

Sharma’s forthright statement was most direct, clear and forceful since India staked its claim for a permanent seat in 1994.

He said during the five dacades since independence, India has developed progressively effective national capabilities over advanced science and technology, and human resources development.

“All this has been achieved within the framework of a transparent and vibrant democracy. Our endeavour is to contribute to overall international effort towards economic development, peace and stability,” he told the delegates.

“Over the past five decades,” Sharma said, “India has been committed to forcefully articulating the concerns, priorities and perspectives of the developing world with reason, balance and a constructive orientation.”His intervention came when the 185-member Assembly was discussing the issue of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council. The Assembly is not scheduled to take any decision immediately.The issue is being considered in an open working group which is expected to continue its discussion next year. Speaking about expectations from the permanent members to keep global perspective in view, he said from earliest days of the United Nations, India has been instrumental in placing on its agenda issues on which the world body has had the most success, including de-colonisation, apartheid and human rights. Stressing the special responsibility of permanent members to maintain international peace and security, he said, “India has shown a constant commitment to this objective since independence.”

“Since the creation of UN, India has been a leading contributor to UN peacekeeping operations, including the most complex operations in Korea, the Congo and Somalia,” he said.

Sharma said the choice of new permanent members should be made in the General Assembly, the most representative organ of the United Nations, without any pre-condition or any pre-determination.

“The idea of consensus at a regional level or group level cannot therefore be relevant,” he said.

Apparently, the problem with building a consensus at regional level could lead to a situation where one member can block the will of overwhelming number of states. Pakistan has announced that it would do exactly that if Asian group is asked to select its representative.

The council at present has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members who are elected for a two-year term. The permanent members, the US, Russia, Britain, France and China, have veto power and each can block any action even if all other members favour it.

Sharma stressed the need for establishing a criteria for inclusion of a state into permanent membership category. The elements relevant, he said, would be share of humanity represented by the country, geographical spread, size and potential of economy, contribution within UN system as a whole and particularly to peacekeeping, independent and constructive engagement in the world affairs, and to, meet the challenges of the approaching millennium, evolving potential of a state.

Sharma said orientating discussions towards consideration of criteria, a need also emphasised by other nations, would ensure a non-discriminatory approach and develop a uniform perspective.