India to seek UN reforms and highlight global terror

United Nations: India will make a strong case for UN reforms in general, and in particular those concerning the Security Council, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addresses the world body tomorrow. It will also highlight the issue of global terrorism. “My expectation is that the text (prepared in connection with the world body’s reform and also global terrorism) will see action in the near future. I am cautiously optimistic; but I am not going to be giving timelines,” Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said last night. The envoy, briefing journalists in connection with the prime ministerial visit, which began earlier yesterday, noted that the nation has been pressing for quite sometime on the reform issue. On terrorism, too, India had spoken about the issue well before the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US as India has been suffering from it for decades.However, India is aware that it cannot set any deadline with regard to these issues.Unless comprehensive reform is undertaken in the world body, the process would only be piecemeal and incomplete, Mr Puri said. India, along with others in the G-4 (Brazil, Japan and Germany), would continue to work in a pro-active manner to maintain the momentum, the envoy said. He said that an anti-terrorism panel headed by India was scheduled to meet in New York at the UN on September 28, when the committee members are expected to finalise a statement of its work for the past decade and also list its vision into the next decade. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in New York to participate in the ongoing 66th annual debate of the UN General Assembly, will meet with leaders of Japan, Iran and Sri Lanka later today. On alleged Beijing’s lukewarm support to India’s candidature for the permanent seat, Mr Puri said it was just a matter of time before China comes out openly backing the New Delhi’s claim. When asked why Dr Singh was not able to have a meeting with US President Barack Obama, the envoy said it was the question of scheduling, and added that the leaders this year would in any case be meeting least twice in as many months this year.