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India says it can make U.N. Security Council more representative
India's foreign minister said Monday that giving his country a seat on the U.N. Security Council would boost the developing world's confidence in the group. India is among a number of countries pushing for a council seat, and Indian External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said "the weight of a billion people ... would validate the agenda and decisions of the council in the perspective of the vast majority of developing countries." "India's presence on the Security Council is the best means to ... reinforce the representative character of the council," Singh told a conference on India at Chatham House, Britain's Royal Institute of International Affairs. Singh met Thursday in Brussels, Belgium, with his counterparts from three other countries vying for spots on the council - Germany, Brazil and Japan. The four agreed that next month they would table their resolution for permanent seats on the council. The four countries have been calling for expansion of the council from 15 to 25 members, including six new permanent seats. The other two seats would be set aside for Africa. The current five permanent members are the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain, all of which could veto any proposed expansion. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who was also attending Monday's conference, said Britain supported India's bid for a council seat. "We want to see India taking on global responsibilities commensurate with its size and importance," he said. But the United States has indicated it would only support the addition of two permanent members, including Japan, and was against giving any new members veto power. Straw did not say Monday if Britain thought India, or any new members, should have a veto. The debate over expanding the council has gone on for almost a decade, and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan told members states in March that he wants a consensus on the issue before global leaders meet in September to discuss U.N. reform. India has pushed strongly for permanent membership, saying it is the world's largest democracy and a growing economic power, and has a long record of contributions to U.N. peacekeeping efforts. Singh sought to reinforce that message Monday. "In all of Asia ... India, given its size and economic reach, is an essential partner in any arrangement that wants to successfully promote stability and security," he said. India "has advocated some of the most practically, yet far-reaching, proposals to secure nuclear disarmament," Singh said. "It has been one of the largest contributors of troops to United Nations peacekeeping efforts." There is wide support among the 191 U.N. member states for expanding the Security Council. But the size and membership of an expanded body remain highly contentious. The expansion must be approved by two-thirds of the members. That would have to be followed by another resolution to change the U.N. Charter, which also requires a two-thirds vote and approval by the five permanent council members.
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