France reiterates support for India's permanent UN seat

At an interaction with reporters here, France’s military boss Admiral Edouard Guillaud said the two countries shared “the common view for promotion of world governance”.

“France supports the reforming of the United Nations to strengthen it. And that is why France supports India for a permanent seat in the UN,” Guillaud said on the penultimate day of his four-day India trip that ends Tuesday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy who is expected to visit India in December has been a vocal supporter of India’s permanent membership in the UN Security Council.

India recently won a two-year term on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) after securing the backing of 187 of the 191 member states in the General Assembly.

A founding member of the UN, India has been on the Security Council six times earlier, but not since 1992.

The position will help the country push more aggressively for Security Council reforms.