Ban shocked by Pakistan's flood disaster

NEW YORK, Aug 15: UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has expressed shock and urged the international community to speed up the delivery of aid after visiting flood-affected areas of Pakistan.

Mr Ban was visibly shaken by what he saw in some of the worst-hit areas of Pakistan's Punjab province, saying he had never seen a disaster on the same scale before.

He flew over flood-affected areas and saw people living on narrow pieces of ground with their possessions and livelihoods washed away.

"A heart-wrenching day for me and for my delegation. I will never forget the destruction and sufferings I have witnessed today," he said.

"In the past I have visited scenes of many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this. The scale of this disaster is so large and there are so many people in so many places in so much need."

President Asif Ali Zardari said some of the estimated 20 million people affected by the floods may need help for up to two years.

And he said the Pakistani military and aid officials cannot reach everyone in need.

"The magnitude of the problem; the world has never seen such a disaster. It's much beyond anybody's imagination," he said.

"This is a long-term affair; this is a two-year campaign. We have to consider that and keep that in mind.

"For two years we've got to give them crops, fertilisers; we've got to give them seed; we've got to look after them, feed them, for two years, to bring them back to where they were. And they will still not be where they were."

More than 1,600 people have been killed in Pakistan's worst natural disaster.

But amid much public discussion about the effectiveness of the government's handling of the flood disaster, prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani stressed the challenge it posed.

"I want to reassure the nation that we will leave no stone unturned in the way of helping people affected by the disaster," he said.

"I have firm confidence that every individual in our nation, the affluent, the civil society and our youth, will participate with enthusiasm in the process of helping flood victims."

Mr Gilani said there were still flood victims to be reached.

He also said that despite the unprecedented challenge of the floods, the government would continue its fight against terrorism, and it expected the world to support it "in word and deed".

International aid groups are struggling to deal with the immediate needs of the flood survivors.

Many of the people rescued from the floods are not being registered, so no-one really knows the true scale of the disaster.

Benoit De Gryse is country director for Medecins Sans Frontieres Belgium in Pakistan.

He says it is impossible to gauge the number of people in need because hunger, disease and homelessness are still unfolding.

"The disaster has not finished yet. Because people ask us, 'How do you judge the impact of the disaster?' I want to say that at the moment it's impossible because the disaster is still in progress," he said.

"Especially because the population is being chased; they are being chased by the water. There is no safe place for them at the moment, so that's a major challenge."

Mr Ban will report back to the UN General Assembly later this week.

The UN has appealed for almost $500 million in aid for Pakistan, but that is just for the next 90 days.

Ban did not make any statement on Kashmir situation: U.N. office

NEW DELHI, Aug 4: The United Nations Secretary-General's office has said Ban Ki-moon did not make any statement on the Kashmir situation.

While seeking to back the staffer who e-mailed Mr. Ban's purported comments to three journalists, Martin Nesirky, spokesman for the Secretary-General, said his office did not release a statement but a “media guidance” that was prepared by the U.N. Secretariat, and that “seems to have been taken out of context.”

“There were questions. As a consequence, the Spokesperson's Office then released the media guidance, which was prepared by the U.N. Secretariat. That's all I can say on it,” Mr. Nesirky said.

Media guidance is used by public relations to prepare a person with answers to questions that could be put to him. It is a convention media guidance is not treated as the person's observations until he has actually spoken what has been written for him by his media managers.

The spokesperson's statement was picked up with a sense of fulfilment by the Ministry of External Affairs. The Ministry was taken aback by the Secretary-General's observations and then pressed its New York-based Permanent Mission into action. The Mission found out that Mr. Ban made no such comments.

When journalists asked Mr. Nesirky how he could blame the media for twisting the content of the e-mail and whether it was due to pressure by India, he declined to take any more question. “All I can say is what I've already told you. I don't have anything further to add.”

On Tuesday, India reacted angrily to Mr. Ban's observations on the unrest in Kashmir. Its Permanent Mission in New York sought a clarification from the office of the Secretary-General and was told “no such question” was raised at a press conference, nor did Mr. Ban make any such comment.

When contacted the same day, the person who circulated the e-mail, Farhan Haq, claimed that Mr. Ban had indeed made the observations. “It was not a statement but remarks in answer to a question … on this topic,” he had said.

UN chief concerned over Kashmir situation; calls for peace

UNITED NATIONS, July 29: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the unrest in Kashmir, which exploded last month claiming the lives of seventeen people.

“In relation to recent developments in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Secretary-General is concerned over the prevailing security situation there over the past month,” Farhan Haq, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, said in a statement.

“He calls on all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and address problems peacefully,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Indian government said that it was aware of anti-India elements based in Pakistan provoking the people of Jammu and Kashmir with the support of certain sections of secessionist groups based in the state.

Kashmir Valley has been wracked with demonstrations since June 11, which led to the police and military cracking down on protestors.

Among the several victims was a 17-year-old boy who died after being hit by a police tear gas shell.

The state government announced that a commission would be set up to inquire into the deaths of civilians during the recent protests.

The commission will be headed by a retired high court judge and it will look into 17 incidents in which people died since June 11.

The government also announced a compensation package of 100,000 rupees and government job to a member of each family.

The inquiry commission is expected to report back in three months. The UN chief also welcomes the recent talks between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan.

“He encourages both sides to rekindle the spirit of the composite dialogue, which was initiated in 2004 and had made encouraging progress on some important confidence building measures, and to make renewed efforts to address outstanding issues, including on Jammu and Kashmir,” the statement said.

“He (Ban) underlines the need for patience, perseverance and compromise on all sides,” it added.

Mukesh Ambani in key UN group

NEW DELHI, July 18: Reliance Industries Limited chief Mukesh Ambani has been chosen by the United Nations as a member of a key advocacy group on Millennium Development Goals (MDG), whose mandate includes finding ways to fight socio-economic evils such as poverty.

Ambani is the only Indian to be a part of the MDG Advocacy Group that comprises eminent international personalities including Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, philanthropist Ted Turner and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, among others.

He is expected to focus on a global partnership for development that will include development of an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.

The U.N. said the top Indian industrialist will also look at the special needs of the least developed countries (LDC) and landlocked developing countries.

The MDGs are eight international development goals that all the 192 United Nations member States and at least 23 global organisations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015.

These include reducing extreme poverty, reducing child mortality rates, fighting disease epidemics such as AIDS and developing a global partnership for development.

The MDG Advocacy Group will support the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in building political will and mobilising global action, says the world body.

One of the first tasks of the Group is the preparatory process for the MDG Summit in September this year. The Summit is being seen as a turning point in the collective effort to achieve the goals by the 2015 target date.

Ambani is a member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry, Government of India, and the Board of Governors of the National Council of Applied Economic Research, New Delhi.

UN urges inquiry into death of Indian journalist

UNITED NATIONS, July 16: Indian authorities need to look into the death of journalist Hem Chandra Pandey who was killed early July in an encounter with police in Andhra Pradesh, a top UN official said. "I am concerned about the circumstances in which Hem Chandra Pandey was killed and I urge the authorities to shed full light on the conditions under which it occurred," said Irina Bokova,Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

Pandey, 30, who worked for several Hindi-language newspapers, was killed along with Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad on July 2.

UNESCO is the only United Nations agency with a mandate to defend freedom of expression and press freedom.

Pandey's wife Babita told journalists on July 4 that her husband had left for Nagpur on June 30 on assignment and been unavailable on his mobile phone since then.

Shortly after the incident was reported, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) expressed shock and also called for an inquiry.

"Hem Chandra Pandey, like any journalist, was well within his rights in seeking to interview an insurgent leader, especially in the context of ongoing peace moves," IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said last week.

"The IFJ extends its solidarity to Babita Pandey and the family of the killed journalist, and welcomes the Andhra Pradesh Home Minister's announcement of a full inquiry," she added.

Babita has stated that the incident was a fake encounter and has asked for a probe by the Central government because she does not trust the state authorities to be honest.

Human rights groups in India and civil liberty activists have called for a central investigation.

Noting that Pandey was a contributor to leading Hindi-language dailies such as Nai Duniya, Rashtriya Sahara and Dainik Jagaran, IFG said, "a portfolio of his recent writings shows a well-informed engagement with issues of wide social concern, such as inflation, food security and climate change. Nowhere does it reveal an advocacy of violence.

UN Security Council slaps new sanctions on Iran

UNITED NATIONS, June 9: The UN Security Council voted 12 to 2 to impose a fourth round of sanctions on Iran, bringing to a close months of diplomatic efforts by the Obama administration to penalize Tehran for building a covert nuclear facility and accelerating its enrichment of uranium.

Brazil and Turkey voted against the measure, while Lebanon abstained.

The measure modestly reinforces a range of economic, high-technology and military sanctions against Iran, and targets more than 40 Iranian elites and companies linked to the nation's nuclear program with a travel ban and an asset freeze.

India pushes for expansion of permanent seats in UNSC

UNITED NATIONS, June 3: India, which is seeking a permanent berth in the UN Security Council, has said that expansion of only non-permanent seats does not constitute reform of the world body and demanded that membership be increased in both categories.

In a closed-door meeting at the UN headquarters convened to discuss the negotiating text for the Security Council reform, India also pointed out that a vast majority of countries were in favour of expanding the current size of the world body's top organ from 15 to the mid-20s.

"There cannot be any reform without expansion in both the categories of membership," Hardeep Singh Puri, India's envoy to the UN, said last night.

"Equally, expansion only in the non-permanent category or any of its other variants does not constitute reform and is merely the perpetuation of the current inefficiency by the same ineffective means in vogue since 1963," he said.

India along with Japan, Germany, South Africa and Brazil is seeking permanent membership of the Security Council.

Puri's remarks came a day after a top US official said India would play a "central part" in the Security Council reform process but stopped short of publicly endorsing the country's bid for a permanent seat.

"We're open to expansion of permanent membership of the Council and we believe that India's going to have a central part to play in the consideration that's going to come of that reform of the UN Security Council," Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns said.

During the inaugural discussions on the UN reform, Zahir Tanin, Afghanistan's permanent representative to the UN, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the process asked member states to submit proposals that can be worked into a negotiating text, which will be the basis for future discussions.

In 2009, member states of the UN had finally abandoned the 'Open Ended Working Group' (OEWG) on the issue that had dragged on for 15 years without yielding any substantive results. In March last year, the old talks were replaced by the new "inter-governmental negotiations."

At the meeting in the UN headquarters, India also underlined the need for equitable geographical distribution.

"India supports a Charter-based distribution of seats that addresses the lack of representation of African, Latin American and Caribbean countries and the lack of adequate representation of Asian countries in the permanent membership," Puri said.

This year, India is also running for a non-permanent seat of the Council for which elections will be held in October. Puri and his team have been canvassing for the spot for the past three years.

Earlier this year, Kazakhstan's withdrew from the electoral race leaving India with a clean slate for 2010-11.

To win, India needs two-thirds of the General Assembly vote, which adds up to about 128 counties saying 'yes' to New Delhi's presence in the Security Council.

UN Security Council convenes for emergency session

UNITED NATIONS, June 1: UN members and officials came out in strong condemnation of Israel's attack on a humanitarian flotilla headed to the Gaza strip, with its chief Ban-Ki-moon seeking a "full explanation" from the country.

The Security Council also convened an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss a draft resolution, to call for an international inquiry into the incident and compensation for those who had been killed.

"I condemn this violence," said Secretary-General Ban. "It is vital that there is a full investigation to determine exactly how this bloodshed took place. I believe Israel must urgently provide a full explanation," he said.

The operations by Israeli naval commandos killed 10 activists and injured dozens others, sparking a global outrage on Monday.

Israel, in turn, accused the people on board the ship of having turned on its soldiers with knives and metal rods and said the defence personnel had acted in self defence.

In individual statements, the 15 UNSC members issued remarks, almost all condemning the assault. Veto-wielding permanent members France, Russia and China called for the blockade of Gaza to be lifted and sought an independent inquiry into the bloody episode.

"It is clearer than ever that Israel's restrictions on access to Gaza must be lifted in line with Security Council Resolution 1860.

The current closure is unacceptable and counterproductive," British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said ahead of the emergency session called after the deadly attack.

The United States, which is Israel's main ally, regretted the loss of life but did not condemn the attacks like most of the Muslim countries and European nations. It urged Israel to undertake a domestic inquiry.

"The United States is deeply disturbed by the recent violence and regrets the tragic loss of life and injuries suffered among those involved in the incident last night aboard the Gaza-bound ships," said Alejandro Wolff, Deputy Permanent US Representative to the United Nations.

While the Security Council discussed a draft statement to condemn the attack, top UN officials came out strongly against the incident.

"I unequivocally condemn what appears to be disproportionate use of force, resulting in the killing and wounding of so many people attempting to bring much-needed aid to the people of Gaza, who have now been enduring a blockade for more than three years," said Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief.

Turkey, which introduced the statement in the Council, demanded that Israel apologise for the act. "This is a black day for humanity," said Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish foreign minister.

UN nuclear conference calls on India to joint NPT, CTBT

UNITED NATIOINS, May 26: Breaking the tradition of not naming countries, the first draft of the final document of 2010 Nuclear-Non Proliferation Treaty Review conference has asked India, Pakistan and Israel to join NPT and CTBT.

"The conference calls upon India, Israel and Pakistan to accede to the treaty as non-nuclear weapon States, promptly and without conditions, thereby accepting an internationally legally binding commitment not to acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices," the first draft of the document said.

"The conference also calls upon India and Pakistan to maintain moratoriums on nuclear testing and calls upon India, Israel and Pakistan to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) without delay and without conditions," it said.

The NPT Review Conference is held every five years to assess the progress in reaching the goals set out in the 1970 treaty to disarm and stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

This year it started on May 3 and would end on May 28 when the final draft is expected.

India, Pakistan and Israel have not signed the treaty and do not attend. The last conference in 2005 ended in failure.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a Western diplomat said here that there were countries, which had accepted that India and Pakistan were not going to become part of the treaty and suggested a new track to reign them into the non-proliferation regime.

"We are going to try and put them in a cooperation system with obligations so that they would have the same obligations that NPT countries without being in the NPT," he said, noting that such an agreement was better than doing nothing.

Several experts, however, have pointed out that by the time the final document was prepared the names of the countries may be replaced by a more general call for the universal acceptance of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Officials noted that naming Israel, for instance, would lead to the country not cooperating with the Arab nations on a plan to have a Middle East free nuclear weapons free zone.

"We want something so that all countries come to the table," the Western diplomat said. "But it's so fragile, it's so difficult."

Mark Hibbs, an expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who had attended the meetings noted that there seemed to be a "tacit agreement" not to retain the names by the end of the conference.

ISI used LeT against India: UN

UNITED NATIONS, AprIL 16: A United Nations report on Friday said the Pakistan’s powerful military-backed spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence has used militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba’s services to foment anti-India passion in Kashmir and elsewhere.

“The Pakistani military organised and supported the Taliban to take control of Afghanistan in 1996. Similar tactics were used in Kashmir against India after 1989,” said the much-awaited report by the UN-appointed independent panel which probed the killing of former Pakistan premier Benazir Bhutto in an endorsement of India’s long-held stand. Such a policy of the Pakistan military was at the expense of national secular forces, it said.

The three-member panel concluded that such a policy of the Pakistan military to use terrorists as a tool to achieve its strategic objectives against its neighbours resulted in active linkages between elements of the military and the Establishment with radical Islamists at the expense of national secular forces.

Noting that the jihadi organisations are Sunni groups based largely in Pakistan's Punjab, the 65-page report said that members of these groups aided the Taliban effort in Afghanistan at the behest of the ISI and later cultivated ties with Al-Qaeda and Pakistani Taliban groups.

"The Pakistani military and ISI also used and supported some of these groups in the Kashmir insurgency after 1989. The bulk of the anti-Indian activity was and still remains the work of groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has close ties with the ISI," said the panel headed by Chile's UN ambassador Heraldo Munoz.

"A common characteristic of these jihadi groups was their adherence to the Deobandi Sunni sect of Islam, their strong anti-Shia bias, and their use by the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies in Afghanistan and Kashmir," the report said.

It said that while several Pakistani current and former intelligence officials told the Commission that their agencies no longer had such ties in 2007, but virtually all independent analysts provided information to the contrary and affirmed the ongoing nature of many such links.

The report said Qari Saifullah Akhtar, one of the founders of the extremist Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami (HuJI), was reportedly one of the ISI's main links to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and is believed to had cultivated ties to Osama bin Laden, who lived in Afghanistan during that period.

"Akhtar's one-time deputy Ilyas Kashmiri, who had ties with the Pakistani military during the Afghan and Kashmir campaigns, had been a senior aide to bin Laden's deputy Ayman al Zawahiri," it said.

"It was such links and connections between elements in the intelligence agencies and militants, which most concerned Bhutto and many others who believed that the authorities could activate these connections to harm her. Given their clandestine nature, any such connection in an attack on her is very difficult to detect or prove," the report said.

Benazir's death was preventable: UN

WASHINGTON DC, April 16: The assassination of the former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto, was preventable and the failures of the investigation into her killing were deliberate, according to a long-awaited report by a United Nations Commission of Inquiry into the matter.

The 70-page report, released on Thursday, said: “The responsibility for Ms. Bhutto's security on the day of her assassination rested with the federal Government, the government of Punjab and the Rawalpindi District Police.” However, none of these entities took the necessary measures to respond to the “extraordinary, fresh and urgent security risks that they knew she faced”.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007 as she was leaving a campaign event at Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi; 24 people were killed in the subsequent bomb blasts.

In a damning indictment of the police and intelligence authorities charged with investigating the assassination, the U.N. report said the Rawalpindi district police's actions and omissions in the immediate aftermath of the event, including the hosing down of the crime scene and failure to collect and preserve evidence, “inflicted irreparable damage to the investigation”.

Further, the Commission complained of authorities' obstruction its investigation, saying: “The Commission was mystified by the efforts of certain high-ranking Pakistani government authorities to obstruct access to military and intelligence sources, as revealed in their public declarations.”

The report also said blame for the failure to protect Benazir Bhutto must be laid squarely on the federal government under Pervez Musharraf which, the Commission argued, was “fully aware of and tracking the serious threats to Ms. Bhutto, [yet] did little more than pass on those threats to her and to provincial authorities and were not proactive in neutralizing them or ensuring that the security provided was commensurate to the threats.”

In conclusion, the report said it remained the responsibility of the Pakistani authorities to carry out a “serious, credible criminal investigation that determines who conceived, ordered and executed this heinous crime of historic proportions, and brings those responsible to justice.”

While the U.N. Commission report was due to be published on March 30, it was delayed by two weeks, reportedly upon the request of the Pakistani authorities.

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.