Global Policy Forum

By Lalit K Jha

India's candidacy for a permanent membership to the UN Security Council received further boost Tuesday as Britain, after France, openly came out in its support during the ongoing debate in the General Assembly on reform and expansion of the Security Council. As the debate entered the second day on Tuesday, the two permanent UNSC members said that they supported the cause of the G-4 - Germany, India, Brazil and Japan - as permanent member to the Security Council.

A Security Council, which is more representative of today's world, yet no less effective of taking tough decisions is needed in the face of the many threats to peace and international security, the British representative told the General Assembly on Tuesday morning. ''To that end, we support permanent membership for Germany, Japan, India and Brazil and permanent representation from Africa,'' he said.

Britain's formal support for India in the Security Council in the General Assembly came a day after the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, spoke about it in his speech at the annual Lord Mayor's banquet in London on November 12. ''Interim options must be examined to reform the United Nations Security Council, whose permanent members today do not include Japan, India, Brazil, Germany or any African country, so we can make the council more representative, more credible, and more effective,'' Brown said.

Among the remaining three permanent members, Russia refrained from naming any country in particular, the US reiterated its endorsement for Japan and China said it would not support any plan that does not include an African nation in the Security Council as permanent member. However, if the debate in the General Assembly is any indication, it is an encouraging sign for India as it can count on the support of Russia, because of its long standing friendship, while it also fits into the parameters set by the US.

In favor of modest expansion of the Security Council, the United States so far has endorsed only Japan as a new Permanent Member, while recommending a set of criteria for the rest of the aspirants. These include strong commitment to democracy, human rights, non-proliferation and demonstrated ability to act as responsible power.

The Chinese Ambassador, Wang Guangya, in his address to the General Assembly said that the reform of the Security Council must accommodate the interests and concerns of all sides and put priority on the increase of the representation of the developing countries, specially the African countries. ''Any formula that does not address the concerns of Africa on the Security Council reform can hardly win endorsement of the whole of the UN membership and will not have the backing of China. This is one of the fundamental principles of China regarding the Security Council reforms,'' he said. The Russian Ambassadsor, Vitaly Churkin, in his speech said his country favored its expansion, provided it had widest support from the member nations.