India closer to UNSC seat

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Much effort has been directed in the past six months at securing for India the status of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, sources said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s address to the 66th session of the UN General Assembly last week made evident India’s commitment to that goal.

Currently India is a non-permanent member of that 15-member body, virtually the Board of Directors of the United Nations, and was elected to that position in January 2011 for the two-year term for countries that are not a permanent presence on the Security Council.

Permanent members have a veto over key questions of international politics that have an international security dimension.

For over 15 years India has pressed for reforms in the UN structure, asking for expanding the Security Council, with the aim of finding a place as a permanent member of the body.

Only five of the 15 members are in the permanent category under the original mandate of the UN.

These five have guarded their position zealously in the last six decades, displaying wariness about newcomers in their grouping. But with India’s rising position in the world — economic, political and in security terms on account of its nuclear capability — and its strong contribution to across-the-range UN efforts, some of the P-5 (permanent five) have assured India their vote when it comes to a count.

In the recent period India’s efforts have been to make that day come close.

Working hard this year, trying to persuade the 192 countries that make up the membership of the UN, senior Indian diplomats here say they have won over about half of that large composition to their cause. But two thirds are needed if the Security Council reforms have to go through.

Moreover, Indian diplomacy has to ensure that none of the P-5 exercises its veto to rule India out. China has been the apprehension in this regard. The expectation, however, is that Beijing (and Moscow) won’t buck a P-5 consensus if one becomes available.

The US used to be non-committal about India earlier (it didn’t mind Germany and Japan), but President Barack Obama committed Washington to back India’s case when he was in New Delhi last winter. Even so, Indian officials monitor America’s attitude on the issue.

In order to gain the support of two thirds of the UN membership for its Security Council bid for permanent membership, diplomatic sources here say India has to concentrate more on African states.

There is debate about whether there should be only one, or two, African states on an expanded security council.

Depending on their inclination on the issue, individual African countries are expected to take a call on India. This could be influenced by which African states India supports in an expanded security council.

India has joined Germ-any, Japan and Brazil (G-4 countries) to work together for a permanent status for each in an expanded Security Council.