Friday, April 29 2005 10:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Asking India and other countries aspiring for permanent membership of the Security Council not to press for veto powers, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday (Apr 28, 2005) said they should strive to make the world body "broadly representative" taking into account current geo-political realities.

Rounding off his three-day visit, Annan did not rule out changes in the two options proposed for expansion of the UN Security Council (UNSC) if member States wanted it.

"Let's not get too involved with vetoes. Enlargement without veto will itself be a major step forward as the Security Council will get different viewpoints which most countries are not able to present at the moment," he said after delivering a lecture on the changing role of the UN in New Delhi.

Addressing a press conference shortly before his departure, Annan, who met the top Indian leadership in New Delhi, was non-committal on India's claim for permanent membership of an enlarged Security Council.

"I cannot as Secretary General have a preference for any of the options or express an opinion on which individual country or countries should be members of the Security Council," he said.

While the first option proposed by him provides for six permanent seats with no veto and three new two-year term non-permanent seats divided among major regional areas, the second one entails no new permanent seats but proposes a new category of eight four-year renewable-term seats and one new two-year non-permanent seat.

Without naming any country, Annan said nations, which contributed significantly to the UN financially, militarily or diplomatically would be the top contenders for permanent seats if and when the Security Council was expanded.

Cautioning that unanimity among the 191-member grouping on either of the options was difficult, he said there was need for "broad agreement" on one of the two so that a decision could be taken, not deferred.

On the issue of veto rights, he said the permanent five countries will not accept the demand by new members for such powers.

"The member States should agree to take a decision one way or the other before the summit meeting this September on the proposals before them, including making the Security Council more broadly representative of the international community as a whole and of the geopolitical realities of today," he said.

Annan also sought India's "active support" to the negotiations on Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) while urging it to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Taking into account the positive strides in Indo-Pak ties, he said discussions could be held with the two countries on the role of UN military observers stationed on either side of the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to developments in Nepal, the UN is sending a Human Rights team there to monitor the ground situation, he said adding that he had told King Gyanendra on the need to return to constitutional rule "as early as possible".