India and the United Nations

[NRao]

India's permanent UN Security Council seat: Negotiations may begin

General Assembly President Sam Kutesa is expected to formally present this week a negotiating document for Security Council reform for adoption before its 69th session ends next week, moving the process forward significantly, according to diplomatic sources.

If it is adopted, it would be the first major step for starting meaningful negotiations for expanding the Council, a process on which India's hopes for a permanent seat hinge. The current reform initiative, launched at 2000 UN Summit, has been blocked by the opposition of some countries to having a basic negotiating text without which meaningful negotiations are not possible.


Kutesa, who has revitalised the reform process, circulated to the 193 members in late July the draft of a negotiating text based on a survey of the positions of the members states on reforms and their suggestions. Diplomatic sources told IANS Kutesa was expected to formally introduce the document this week in the Assembly with a vote on it likely to take place next week before its current 69th session ends.

The negotiating text's adoption, which would require only a simple majority, would ensure that the Inter-Governmental Negotiations on Security Council Reforms (IGN) as process is known would be able to conduct its business with a forward-looking agenda.

Kutesa, who is also Uganda's foreign minister, has declared Council reform a "priority" and that it was "critical" to enable the "organisation to meet the world's increasingly complex global challenges."

In order to make a case for reforms, India's Permanent Representative Asoke Kumar Mukerji has repeatedly pointed to the Council's inability to deal effectively with conflicts and maintain peace, which he blamed on its unrepresentative character and secretiveness.

"We need to urgently broaden the Council to make it more representative, more effective and more democratic, reflecting the diversity of our United Nations," he has said.

Kutesa wanted the reforms in place for the 70th anniversary celebrations of UN's founding later this month, but in the face of difficult problems he would be able to only reach the first step of having a negotiating text to break the logjam and carry the process forward.

He appointed Jamaican Ambassador Courtenay Rattray as head the IGN to reinvigorate the process and put his full force behind it.

The 25-page document drafted on the basis of the survey conducted by Rattray lays out the different proposals that include adding permanent members or not doing it, different modalities for veto powers and regional distribution of seats. Future negotiations would whittle down the various options in the document and create draft resolution on the reforms.

China has launched a last minute drive to try to block the adoption of the negotiating text in order to continue to stall the reform process, which may see its two Asian rivals, Japan and India, get a permanent seat, according to diplomats IANS spoke to. While 116 countries responded to the survey and involved themselves in the process, that number also included some opposing the text. The sources said that the minimum of 97 votes needed for its adoption was assured.

The main opposition comes from a group of 13 countries known as the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) that opposes adding any permanent members to the council. It is led by Italy and includes Pakistan and countries like Argentina and Spain which are motivated by regional rivalry against likely permanent member additions, which are likely to be India, Brazil, Germany and Japan.

Their stalling tactic has been to create a Catch 22 situation by insisting on a consensus before a negotiating text draft could be drafted, while a consensus could not be reached without a document to guide the process of achieving a consensus. The group also has insisted that its own proposal that rules out adding permanent members while expanding the non-permanent membership be adopted.

The US and Russia are also cool to the negotiating process for reforms.

While the process of Council reform has so far been mired in procedural controversies, India's candidacy for a permanent seat is backed by four of the five permanent members, Britain, France, Russia and the United States. China, which has not backed India, softened its position by agreeing in a joint communique with Russia and India in February that it supported New Delhi's "aspiration to play a greater role in the United Nations."

When the UN was founded in 1945 with 51 members, the veto-wielding permanent Security Council seats came as spoils of war to the victors of World War II, Britain, China, France, Russia and the US. There were in addition six elected non-permanent members. In 1965, the number of non-permanent members was raised to 10. There have been no changes even though UN's membership has risen to 193.

[NRao]

Cloud over India's UNSC seat after Russian doubt over permanent members

Russia has said it does not foresee "a historic compromise" being reached in the near future on admitting new permanent members in the UN Security Council, an assessment that does not bode well for India's bid for a permanent seat in a reformed Council.

"On the Security Council reform, the negotiation has been there for a long time. We want a historic compromise to be reached between the two main camps - those who want to have new permanent members and those who don't want new permanent members," Russia's Permanent Representative and President of the Security Council for the month of September Vitaly Churkin told reporters during a briefing here yesterday.

Churkin said those who do not want new permanent members advocate a new category under an intermediate option of having countries that will be elected for a longer period of time than the current two years for non-permanent members.

"At this point I do not see that historic compromise any way near," Churkin said.

Churkin's statement runs counter to India's quest of achieving UNSC reforms without any further delay.

India feels that the 70th anniversary of the UN, being commemorated this year, is an appropriate milestone to propel the reform process, which should be completed within the next one year.

India has maintained that the process to expand the powerful UN body "cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum" and a results-based timeline is crucial to achieve a concrete outcome.

While Russia has supported India's candidacy as a permanent member, it along with the US and China had not contributed to a negotiating text circulated by UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa that will form the basis for negotiations on UNSC reforms and expansion.

Russia, a permanent member of the UNSC, had said in its letter to Kutesa that the "prerogatives of the current Permanent Members of the Security Council, including the use of the veto, should remain intact under any variant of the Council reform.

"The intergovernmental negotiations on the UN Security Council reform should proceed in a calm, transparent and inclusive atmosphere free from artificial deadlines.

"If a consensus on this issue is not possible to achieve, then in any case it will be politically necessary to secure the support by the overwhelming majority of the Member States - a substantially greater number than the legally required two thirds of votes at the General Assembly," Russia had said.

Russia had said that it is prepared to consider the so-called 'intermediate solution', provided that this option enjoys the widest possible consent at the UN.

[NRao]

US 'strongly supports' India's bid for permanent seat in UNSC

The US "strongly supports" India's bid for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council, its Ambassador to India Richard Verma said here today.

"Based on the statement of President Obama, the US strongly supports India's place in the UN Security Council," Verma said at a press meet here.

"We know there have been reports to the contrary, but they are not backed by truth. We want to clarify that US supports India's place in the Security Council," he said.

"Pace of that movement and best method for that critical effort (for reforms)...we are working on it very strongly. We are working consistently on it. It is a long and complicated process to reform the UN," he said.

"We strongly support India's leadership as an emerging global power," the Ambassador said.

No mention of the critical veto power!!

[chetak]

US 'strongly supports' India's bid for permanent seat in UNSC

The US "strongly supports" India's bid for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council, its Ambassador to India Richard Verma said here today.

"Based on the statement of President Obama, the US strongly supports India's place in the UN Security Council," Verma said at a press meet here.

"We know there have been reports to the contrary, but they are not backed by truth. We want to clarify that US supports India's place in the Security Council," he said.

"Pace of that movement and best method for that critical effort (for reforms)...we are working on it very strongly. We are working consistently on it. It is a long and complicated process to reform the UN," he said.

"We strongly support India's leadership as an emerging global power," the Ambassador said.

No mention of the critical veto power!!

you are invited for the royal banquet, provided you leave your dentures at home.

[Singha]

No chetak. you are invited in full knowledge the highwayman (china) will use veto power to close the road.

when you dont have to feed the invitees, you can score free brownie points by generous invitations.

sometimes even sleeping guests (china in 1950) are dragged to the banquet(by usa) fearing if the guests will ally with another forest bandit(ussr) to burn the village down.

[A_Gupta]

Is this a technology and economy topic, or strategy & international affairs one?

[NRao]

I had strategy in mind.

But as long as discussions are civil and unbiased as far as possible, then any topic should add to the topic I would think.

[Rahul M]

re-opened.

[panduranghari]

Why not adopt Bharat Karnad way of doing things? Be disruptive. Leaving UN or implicit threat of doing so will force the hand of the P5+1. Wont they prefer us in the tent pissing out than the other way?

But may be US will call the bluff. In my belief, the US prefers a G2 rather than a G20.

[member_29172]

Well, money talks, this chai-biskoot sessions and unnecessary friendly gestures to moronic countries is a waste of time, throw some money and they'll lap upto you quite quick, or atleast it looks like it

Chinese bribed top official to stall UN reforms?

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 498458.cms

NEW DELHI: The arrest of former president of the UN General Assembly, John Ashe, on charges of bribery by the Chinese has vindicated India's suspicion that key top level officials in the UN system were being paid off to delay or scuttle the Security Council reform process, among other things.

Earlier this month, Ashe, former envoy from Antigua & Barbuda was charged by US attorney Preet Bharara for accepting a bribe of $1.3 million from Chinese businessmen and officials for support for a multi-billion dollar "south south" UN-sponsored conference centre in casino capital Macau. Bharara's complaint also stated that other Chinese nationals paid Ashe hundreds of thousands of dollars to facilitate their businesses in Antigua. While only some of the details of the bribery processes have been made public, they are enough to provide a clue to the methods China uses to influence UN processes.

For India, the more important part of the corruption charges against Ashe is the claim that the former GA president was reportedly paid to further Chinese interests. A part of this, they believe, has to do with influencing the progress of UN Security Council reform which China has steadfastly opposed. As president of UNGA between 2013-2014, Ashe started out by setting up an advisory body which drafted a 'non-paper' on the negotiations for UNSC reform. This, Indian officials say, was a simplified version of the 300-page draft negotiation document that was agreed to later in September 2015.

India was an enthusiastic supporter of the 'non-paper' which they hoped would later become the draft text, because the advisory body was representative of the major world groups. However, mysteriously for Indians, Ashe backed out from making this the text at the last moment. This came as a blow to India's hopes, and it took a couple more years before the text was adopted. In a reprise, the last UNGA president Sam Kutesa, also wavered at the last moment, inserting paragraphs (inspired by China, say Indian officials) that would have dealt a big blow to the UN process. But this time the G4 and other countries prevailed on Kutesa, and the text went through.

According to news reports on the Ashe case, Manhattan US attorney Preet Bharara, who announced the arrests of Ashe and the other defendants, said the investigation could result in more charges as authorities examine whether "corruption is business as usual at the United Nations." "If proven, today's charges will confirm that the cancer of corruption that plagues too many local and state governments infects the United Nations as well," Bharara said. Ashe, says the complaint, received more than $800,000 from Chinese businessmen to support their interests within the UN and Antigua,

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN was quoted as saying, UN secretary general Ban ki Moon "was shocked and deeply troubled to learn of the allegations, which go to the heart of the integrity of the UN," Dujarric said. "Corruption is not business as usual at the UN."

[member_29172]

Just reading this thread is kinda disappointing, so many stupid and counter productive suggestions, it seems we as people lack the cunning and selfishness to maintain our national interests.

A country seeking UN Veto power needs to be street smart and cunning enough to carve out it's interests above others while do things that are common to everyone's interest. It seems that tendency hasn't developed yet among the common people here or even the "experts" here who have been in the know-how with India and her positions on different international topics.

[Amber G.]

I was listening to UNGA address this year.. I heard a few people and happened to hear Ghana's President.. I liked his speech.
I am going to hear Afghanistan now...

I think India's (And other civilized nations)/Modi's interest in Ghana is well justified..

FYI who do not know, Ghana's President here is a photo of John Dramani Mahama with India's President..

[Amber G.]

I was listening to UNGA address this year.. I heard a few people and happened to hear Ghana's President.. I liked his speech.
I am going to hear Afghanistan now...

I think India's (And other civilized nations)/Modi's interest in Ghana is well justified..

[Amber G.]

“Light over darkness, hope over despair, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil — the UN lights up. Happy Diwali!” tweets UNGA president Peter Thomson.

Diwali was commemorated for the first time at the United Nations, with the world body’s imposing headquarters in New York lit up especially on the occasion of the Indian festival of lights.