India supports "text-based" negotiations UNSC reform

"Tinkering with the margins will not lead us to our common goal of genuine reform. This has been tried in the past, without success," Hardeep Singh Puri, the Indian envoy to the UN, said at a meeting convened to discuss Security Council reforms.

Noting that in 1963 review only led to the enlargement of the non-permanent membership from 6 to 10, Puri asked, "Do we seriously believe, 27 years later, that a similar tinkering will help restore the credibility of the UNSC and achieve genuine reform?"
"It is crucial that we all come together to ensure that this key organ of the UN, and indeed the UN at large, does not become irrelevant because it could not adapt to the times," he said at the first meeting of UNSC this year.
Noting that UN Security Council is at the "cusp of a possible decisive phase" in its reform process, Puri underlined the need for "a document that can be the basis for negotiations."

"In this first meeting in a new decade, there is a palpable sense that we are at the cusp of a possible decisive phase in the reform process," Puri said. India is pushing for an early reform of the 15-member UNSC, seeking a permanent seat in the top organ of the world body.

"Developments over the past month since we last met have clearly underscored the consensus that exists on urgently moving forward UNSC reform, particularly through text-based negotiations," Puri said.
Instead of starting from scratch, Puri stressed that the text should "build on progress" made last year.

However, the Indian envoy warned that text based negotiations should not be allowed to become a procedural minefield.

"While it is useful to hold consultations on the possible contours of such a text, we must caution against procedural discussions blocking the common desire for urgent movement," he said.

Meanwhile, India is gearing up to for the elections for the non-permanent seat that will be held in October 2010. With Tajikistan recently dropping out of the race, New Delhi is the only country standing from the region, and diplomats here feel confident about winning.

The last time India sat at the Security Council table was in 1992. Two years, later it lost out to Japan and has not run since.