Janjivan Bureau
New Delhi:India described the General Assembly’s decision to adopts documents based negotiations for Security Council reforms as “historic” and “pathbreaking”.
The UN General Assembly Monday chose the path of text-based negotiations for carrying out Security Council reforms and, for this purpose, adopted a negotiating text by consensus, a move that was welcomed by India.
India is a strong contender for a permanent seat if the Security Council gets expanded, which is one of the most significant reforms that is being discussed. “This is a significant development as after more than two decades, we can now commence text-based negotiations so that the long-pending reforms of the Security Council can be achieved,” a spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs said.
In New York, India’s ambassador to UN Asoke Mukerji said: “This is the most positive and unique development, as so far, over the last seven years, we have only been making statements in the air, or at each other, with easily deniable or disputable summaries, or at times compilation text(s), to register our endeavours.”
Big moment for India as UNGA adopts by consensus decisn to begin text based negotiatns on SC reforms after 2 decades wrote on twiter MEA spokes personVikas Swarup.
The decision to adopt text-based negotiations formalises the process of carrying out Security Council reforms. So far, discussions have been going on without a formal text. The decision comes on the eve of its 70th session that begins Tuesday.
Nearly 200-member countries of the UN have agreed that during the 70th session of the UNGA, which commences tomorrow, they will have text-based negotiations on reforms in the Security Council, the top decision-making body, which has 15 members including five permanent members- China, Russia, the US, the UK and France.
However, the US, China and Russia did not contribute to the text, a move which was seen as an attempt to thwart
India’s bid for permanent membership of the global body.
Though the US and Russia have been supporting India’s bid, China has been against any expansion of the Security Council.
UNGA President Sam Kutesa, who convened a plenary meeting to take action on the draft decision on the “Question of equitable representation on and increase in the membership of the Security Council and related matters”, also circulated letters containing the positions of key countries including Russia, the US and China which refused to contribute to the negotiating text.
Once the draft is agreed upon by the UN member countries, it will be put to vote at the General Assembly, where a two-thirds vote is needed to pass it.
