close_game
close_game

Failure of G4 bid would be tragic: Natwar

PTI | ByDipankar De Sarkar, Indo-Asian News Service, London
Jul 12, 2005 03:08 PM IST

Failure by India and a group of other nations to become permanent members of the UNSC would be nothing short of tragic, says Natwar Singh.

Declaring himself to be a "realist", External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said Monday that failure by India and a group of other nations to become permanent members of the United Nations Security Council would be nothing short of tragic.

HT Image
HT Image

"India will still be registering an economic growth rate of eight percent, regardless. And at the UN, we will continue to push for reforms as a member of the Group of Four," Singh told IANS in an interview after a London meeting with the foreign ministers of the other members of the G4 - Brazil, Germany and Japan.

"I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic about our prospects. I am being realistic - it's a fairly complicated process," he said as the G4 prepared to table a resolution at the UN General Assembly seeking its support for the G4 bid to be made permanent members of the all-powerful Security Council.

"Nothing may happen. The status quo might be retained, which would be tragic," he added.

The minister pointed out that this was the first time in 60 years that there was any kind of a major push for reforms in the UN.

"That's our great achievement. You can't wish it away - there will be a debate. And the blame won't be on us if the G4 bid failed," he said.

The road ahead is still difficult, Singh said, not least because the whole process still hinges on the nod of the existing five permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.

The tabling of the G4 resolution Monday will be followed by a meeting on July 17 between the foreign ministers of the G4 and key representatives of the 53-nation African Union, including the foreign ministers of Ghana and Nigeria.

This meeting, to be held at the New York office of the Indian permanent representative to the UN, is being considered crucial to the success of the G4 bid.

The African Union has its own resolution and all efforts will be aimed at marrying the two resolutions.

The main difference between the two at the moment is that the Africans are seeking full veto powers while the G4 say they are happy to have no veto powers until 2020. There are also some other differences over the exact number of non-permanent members that each group wants to see.

However, both groups want two African countries to join the Security Council as permanent members - they are to be named by the African Union in August.

The demand for the expansion of the Security Council will be put to a vote later this month - probably on July 20.

If there is a compromise between the two G4 and African Union resolutions, then the bid is assured of the two-thirds of UN-member votes that it needs to go to the next stage - the deliberation of the five permanent members.

At the moment, the G4 has the support of the majority of the permanent members. Britain, France, which is a co-sponsor of the G4 resolution, and Russia are strong supporters.

China's position is as yet unclear, but it appears to be opposed to Japan's entry. The US, on the other hand, wants Japan and one or two others.

Whatever the outcome of the bid, Singh said, the Group of Four had surprised the world by sticking together in their call for UN reforms.

"Nobody expected us to hold together, but we did."

Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs along with Delhi Election 2025.
See More
Read breaking news, latest updates from US, UK, Pakistan and other countries across the world on topics related to politics,crime, and national affairs along with Delhi Election 2025.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Saturday, February 08, 2025
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On