Thursday, February 24 2005 12:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: Rejecting suggestions for expansion of the UN Security Council (UNSC) only in non-permanent category, India has said that inclusion of major developing nations as permanent members is vital for the UN to take control of international economic agenda, promote reform in world economic institutions and protect weak States.

The experience of last decade and half shows that non-permanent members cannot ensure that the 15-member Council itself becomes the subject of international law like member States with decisions bounded by the purposes and principles of the Charter and judicial review, Indian Ambassador to the UN, Nirupam Sen said yesterday (Feb 23, 2005).

In an informal debate in General Assembly on the high-level panel report on reforming the world body, Sen rejected the idea that new permanent members, unlike the current five permanent members, should not have the veto power.

"A new category of permanent members without veto would not balance the weight of existing permanent members that is precisely why new permanent members should have the veto under guidelines that would act as an example to other permanent members," the Indian Ambassador said.

Stressing the need for "recovery" of original vision of a development-driven and not donor-driven UN, Sen said, "From whatever direction one approaches, all paths lead to the need for revitalizing the General Assembly, to shifting the balance of forces in the Security Council by including of major developing countries in its permanent membership."