India likely to get permanent seat in UNSC by 2012

NEW YORK, Feb 20: Senior diplomats believe that the long-stalled expansion of the United Nations Security Council, including the addition of permanent members, could take place within the next couple of years.

As India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri observed, “There is clear and discernible momentum but it has to be progressed. Things are likely to come to fruition in 2011-2012.”

India is campaigning for expansion of the Council, and is one of the principal candidates for permanent membership. The campaign along with the other three nations that comprise the G-4 group, Brazil, Japan and Germany, has been revived recently after flagging over the last couple of years.

What is more important is that the United States has reviewed its position on the expansion of the UNSC, and has expressed a “preference” for expansion in both categories — permanent and non-permanent. Previously, the US had not been favourably disposed towards such reform and former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton had even been critical of the G-4 effort to secure such reform.

The US has now also outlined the sort of countries that appear to fit the bill for permanent membership. Diplomatic sources said that those criteria work in India’s favour since it fulfils them. They include a growing financial, military and regional profile for potential permanent members.

What is equally significant is that nearly 140 member states of the UN have also supported creating a clear document to expand the Council. If that document becomes a reality, it may well fast track the process of expansion.

But some tricky issues still have to be worked out. These include the quantum of the expansion since the UNSC currently has 15 members (five permanent and ten non-permanent). The US does not want an “unwieldy” body and would like to see a number below 25 members. Indian diplomats believe that a “compromise” on the figure will be arrived at between 20 and 25 members.

What could also help India’s effort to secure permanent membership of the UNSC is the likelihood that after 19 years, it may finally represent the Asia region as a non-permanent member of the Council, starting January 2011.

UN panel admits new error in key climate report

NEW YORK, Feb 15: The UN climate change panel has admitted to having imprecisely stated in a key report that 55 percent of the Netherlands is under sea level, saying that is only the area at risk of flooding.

The Dutch government this month asked the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to explain the figure, used in a landmark 2007 report, saying its numbers were that only 26 percent of the country is below sea level.

It was a new embarrassment for the panel. The same 938-page Fourth Assessment Report also contained an erroneous claim that global warming could melt Himalayan glaciers by 2035.

The IPCC admitted in a note sent to a news agency on Sunday that the 55 per cent figure was actually the portion of The Netherlands "at risk of being flooded". It insisted that the imprecision did not affect the conclusions of the report.

The figure had been used in various publications to mean "either the area below the highest sea-level reached during storms, or the total area of the country that is prone to flooding from the sea and rivers," the note said.

"Therefore, a preliminary analysis suggests that the sentence discussed should end with: 'because 55 per cent of The Netherlands is at risk of flooding'."

Ban concerned over Fonseka's arrest, to send envoy to Lanka

NEW YORK, Feb 11: Voicing concern over the arrest of ex-army commander Sarath Fonseka, UN chief Ban Ki-moon has asked President Mahinda Rajapaksa to respect due process of law in the case of the General and announced plans to send one of his top envoys to Sri Lanka for talks with the government.

Ban conveyed his concerns to President Rajapaksa during a telephonic conversation on Wednesday night.

According to a spokesperson of the UN Secretary General, Ban urged the President to respect due process of law regarding the case of the former army chief and "runner-up" in 26th January presidential elections.

He called on the Sri Lankan government to guarantee personal safety of Fonseka, who was arrested on Monday for alleged "military offences."

The UN chief also announced plans to dispatch his top political official to the island nation for dialogue, the UN News Centre said in New York.

Ban said he would send Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs B Lynn Pascoe to Colombo for talks soon.

Meanwhile, The European Union (EU) has said that it is "closely" following the situation in Sri Lanka after the arrest of Fonseka.

The EU, in a statement from Brussels, called for concrete efforts to overcome the divisions of the past and moves towards genuine reconciliation.

"We call on the Sri Lankan authorities to ensure that the rule of law and the safety and security of candidates and campaign workers are ensured," Spokesperson of the High Representative/Vice President of the EU Catherine Ashton said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We urge the Government and all communities in Sri Lanka to make concrete efforts to overcome the divisions of the past and to move on to genuine reconciliation, without which there can be no return to long-term security or prosperity," the statement added.

Over 1.2 billion dollars pledged for Haiti quake aid: UN data

GENEVA, Jan 19: More than 1.2 billion dollars have been pledged in aid funding to Haiti, which is struggling to recover from last week's deadly earthquake, United Nations data showed Tuesday.

Individuals, countries, companies and international organisations have all dug deep into their pockets, while others have helped by deploying experts or sending tonnes of relief items to the country, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on its website.

Ban vows to work for nuclear-free world

NEW YORK, Jan 11: UN Chief Ban Ki-moon on Sunday vowed to work towards a world free of weapons of mass destruction noting that there is a "new window of opportunity for disarmament and non-proliferation".

"I pledge to continue to do everything in my power to advance the goal of a world free of weapons of mass destruction," he said at a meeting with the key UN agencies dealing with nuclear and chemical weapons.

"Today there is a new window of opportunity for disarmament and non-proliferation. I am convinced there is much we can do to achieve our common goal," Ban said at a meeting of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBTO-PrepCom).

He vowed to continue building support for an action plan for nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

The UN Secretary-General pointed out that several developments in 2009, including the "historic Security Council Summit" that discussed nuclear non-proliferation chaired by US President Barack Obama, indicated that a significant progress has been made towards attaining the goal.

The summit had witnessed the passing of a nuclear non proliferation resolution and Obama committed to a new agreement with Russia to reduce nuclear war heads. The resolution called upon all states to "refrain from conducting a nuclear test and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

"Last year, we saw several encouraging developments. This year, we have much on which to build and a heavy agenda going forward," Ban said.

"Building on the historic Security Council summit last September, I will encourage the Council to provide political support for the full implementation of treaty obligations and the strengthening of the treaty organs," he said.

At that time, the United Nations and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had asked nine states including India to sign up the CTBT; however, New Delhi expressed reservations.

A major event on nuclear non-proliferation will be the NPT (Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty) Review Conference in May. "The Treaty is facing a number of challenges. A successful outcome would strengthen confidence not only in the Treaty but also for the collective global effort to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons," Ban said.

"I will promote the universality of the relevant treaties and conventions," he said.

Before the big event, Ban will be attending the upcoming session of the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva in January, the Global Zero Summit in Paris in February and the Summit on Nuclear Security in Washington in April.

"These events will help generate momentum for the May NPT Review Conference," he said.

UN releases stamp on Mahatma Gandhi

NEW YORK: The United Nations in a function organised by the Indian Mission to commemorate the 140th birth anniversary of the father of the nation; also marked as the International Day of Non-Violence, has released a stamp featuring him on Friday.

United Nations Postal Administration, the world body's postal agency, released the one-dollar stamp designed by a world famous Miami-based artist Ferdie Pacheco, with the Father of the Nation in red, blue and gold.

The function was attended by several UN envoys to reiterate the influence of Mahatma Gandhi's life.

"In many ways, Mahatma Gandhi previsioned the UN. Much of the work that we do in the area of human rights owes its genesis in the struggle against racial discrimination, which he focused on," Hardeep Singh Puri India's ambassador to the UN said.

President of the General Assembly Ali Treki stressed upon Gandhi's commitment to communal harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Paying tribute to Gandhi, the US envoy to the UN Susan Rice notified the significance of Mahatma. "Gandhi had influenced millions of Americans. Gandhi believed that physical force could be turned aside by moral forces."

Both, Ambassador Puri and Rice spoke of the historic trip that civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr, made to India in 1959 to see the country of the Mahatma.

On his return Dr King wrote, "It was wonderful to be in Gandhi's land."

This year, on the 50th anniversary of the journey, the US sponsored the visit of Martin Luther King III to retrace the steps of his father and mother.

Quoting King "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy," Rice spoke of Gandhi's influence on the US history. "That is true of people but it is also true of nations."

The UN has put on sale the envelopes marked with the stamp and the United Nations' seal on it.

All over New York City, small and big events were organised to mark the birthday of the Father of the Nation.

New Yorkers gathered to sing the Mahatma’s favourite songs and paid floral tributes at his statue in Manhattan. “Gandhi has to be celebrated all over the world because his message echoes around the globe,” said Consul General of India in New York Prabhu Dayal.

UNSC adopts nuclear resolution, asks non-NPT states to join treaty

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24: The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution asking all non-NPT signatories to join the treaty, a controversial pact which India views as flawed and discriminatory.

During an unprecedented summit chaired by US President Barack Obama, the powerful 15-member Council approved the resolution 1887 which calls on countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) "to comply fully with all their obligations."

Obama said the resolution will strengthen the NPT. "We have made it clear that the Security Council has both the authority and responsibility to respond to violations of this treaty," he said.

"Nations with nuclear weapons have the responsibility to move towards disarmament and those without them have the responsibility to forsake them," Obama said.

India has refused to sign the NPT in its present format as it views the pact as discriminatory which favours the nuclear powers.

"Although we averted a nuclear nightmare during the Cold War, we now face proliferation of a scope and complexity that demands new strategies and new approaches," Obama told the Council.

"Just one nuclear weapon exploded in a city, be it New York or Moscow, Tokyo or Beijing, London or Paris, could kill hundreds of thousands of people," he warned.

The resolution also asks all states to refrain from conducting nuclear tests and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

It seeks talks on framing a treaty to ban the production of fissile material for atomic weapons and calls on non-NPT members to join it as non-nuclear states.

The resolution also contains provisions to deter countries from abandoning the NPT.

While refraining from making any direct reference to Iran and North Korea, both dubbed by the US as "rogue" states, it refers to Security Council resolutions asking both Tehran and Pyongyang to halt their controversial nuclear programmes.

India says won't sign NPT

NEW YORK, Sept 24: India has refused to abide by the UN Security Council resolution asking all non-NPT nations to sign the pact, saying it cannot accept the "externally prescribed norms or standards" on issues that are contrary to its national interests or infringe on its sovereignty."

India maintained that it cannot join the NPT as a non-weapon country even as it reiterated its commitment to no testing and no-first-use besides non-discriminatory universal non-proliferation.

In a letter to UN Security Council President Susan E Rice, India's Permament Representative to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri has said "India cannot accept calls for universalization of the NPT."

The development came as the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution asking all countries which have not signed the Non Proliferation Treaty to sign the agreement.

Citing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement in Parliament on July 29, Puri said "there is no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. Nuclear weapons are an integral part of India’s national security and will remain so, pending non-discriminatory and global nuclear disarmament."

He said India "cannot accept externally prescribed norms or standards on matters within the jurisdiction of its Parliament or which are not consistent with India’s constitutional provisions and procedures, or are contrary to India’s national interests or infringe on its sovereignty."

Puri contended India cannot comply with non-proliferation obligations to which it has not provided its consent.

Krishna to meet Pak minister on Sept 27

NEW DELHI, Sept 21: India’s external affairs minister S.M. Krishna will meet Pakistan’s foreign minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmoud Qureishi in New York on September 27, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, a day after the foreign secretaries of the two countries, Nirupama Rao and Salman Bashir, hold talks there. This will be the first high-level contact since the two Prime Ministers met on the sidelines of the NAM summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in July.

Pakistan’s action against the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai terror outrage is likely to top the agenda of both meetings, though the Pakistan foreign secretary said Monday that "all issues, including terrorism and the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir, will be discussed."

Krishna holds meetings on UN sidelines

NEW YORK, Sept 21: Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna held a few bilateral meetings with his counterparts and others who gathered in New York for the current UN General Assembly session.

Mr Krishna, who arrived on Sunday night, held talks with his counterpart from Brazil Celso Amorim and South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

In the meeting the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and increased participation of developing nations in decision-making in global bodies.

"They reiterated the need for the UN to be reformed and so as to become more representative and reflective of the needs and priorities of the developing nations," a statement from the Permanent Mission of India to the UN said.

"They committed to coordinate with each other and the broader UN membership for achieving genuine reform of the UN Security Council at the earliest," it said.

League of Arab States Secretary General Amre Moussa held negotiations with Mr Krishna. The two sides discussed the latest West Asia situation and other issues of mutual concern.

Chief Representative to the UN Hardeep S Puri and Joint Secretary in the Foreign Ministry Asith Bhattacharjee also participated in the meeting.

During this visit, Mr Krishna will represent the Prime Minister at the Climate Change Summit being held later in the day and his address to the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on September 26.

The Ministers week-long programme to the UN and New York, includes participation in meetings concerning Myanmar, terrorism and SAARC. He will also address an Indian-American community meeting on 24th September.

Foreign Ministers and Secretaries of both India and Pakistan will meet on September 26 and 27 respectively. Mr Krishna is also expected to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

India lobbies hard for UNSC seat, hopes to end 18-year drought

NEW DELHI, Sept 18: India is lobbying hard for a non-permanent seat to the UN Security Council, when the Asia seat comes up for renewal at the end of next year, hoping to end a drought that would have lasted 18 years by the time elections are held in October 2010.

India’s main rival for the Asia seat is Kazakhstan, which has never won a seat to the Security Council. India has already been elected six times, the last time as long ago in 1991-92, when the world was a completely different place.

The last time India sat on the Council, the Soviet Union was still a country and the first US invasion of Iraq was a taste of things to come in the new world order. As a non-permanent member at the time, India had little choice but to go along with the Security Council resolution sanctioning the Iraq invasion.

The Security Council consists of five veto-wielding permanent members — US, Russia, China, UK and France — and 10 non-permanent members, not allowed a veto but elected for two-year terms, from regions like Asia, Africa, eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and western Europe.

An Indian win against Kazakhstan is also aimed at wiping out the nightmare of 1996, when India fought a hugely unequal contest against Japan for the Asian seat and was trounced 142-40, in favour of Japan.

Japan, the second highest donor to the UN and currently on the Security Council again, holds the honour of representing Asia as many as 10 times.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), which had projected a huge victory for India in 1996, was stunned at the scale of its defeat. Today, more than 13 years later, with the campaign well underway for the last several months — and with a full year to go — it appears far more confident, but cautious.

Of the 192 voting countries in the UN General Assembly, Indian officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity said they had already got the support of “more than 100 countries.”

The hope exists that Kazakhstan will withdraw its candidature when faced with overwhelming support for India, but clearly, no one’s taking any chances. The upcoming UN General Assembly session will be used to lobby hard, underlining requests already made by Indian ambassadors worldwide, as well as by the prime minister and the external affairs minister to visiting dignitaries.

As many as three out of five permanent members, including Russia and France, are believed to have committed support to India.

Still, there remains a certain uncertainty over whether India should be expending its “political capital” over a non-permanent seat that has been variously described as a “toothless, anachronistic, archaic wonder,” left over from the Cold War era.

Perhaps, part of the reason to go ahead with the contest two years ago was the realisation that the expansion of the UN Security Council was still some years away, and that the Permanent Five were never going to dilute their own veto power by sharing it. Then when (now minister of state for external affairs) Shashi Tharoor lost the race to UN Secretary-General in 2006, Delhi’s dream of being at the helm of global affairs died quickly.

A large section of the political-security establishment believes that India shouldn’t even bother. This “realist” school, which seeks to further India’s national interest by cultivating friendships with big powers like the US, is dismissive about the “multi-lateral” school which seeks to make friends irrespective of the influence nations wield.

The BJP-led NDA governments (1998-2004), which took the decision to go nuclear in 1998, clearly believed in following a muscular approach to India’s foreign policy. But the Congress-led UPA alliances have followed suit, sewing up the Indo-US deal with alacrity in the face of pressure from the Left parties and the BJP.