India pushes for veto power to new permanent members in UNSC

India has said that new permanent members in the reformed UN Security Council must get veto power and conceded that it is ready to ‘compromise’ for a temporary period. “Our own national position has been and remains that the veto should as long as it exists be extended to new permanent members,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said.

“As a measure of flexibility and willingness for compromise, the use of the veto can be deferred till the Review Conference. The African Union (and this is understandable) does not wish to defer use. The difference, we see, as one of a degree than one of a kind,” Mr Akbaruddin said.

Considering the hard line position among member states on the use of the veto and differences among them over the issue, Mr Akbaruddin said that the issue of veto cannot be allowed to block the process of Security Council reform itself.

“The issue of veto is important but then we cannot also allow the veto to have a veto over the process of Council reform itself,” he said during the informal plenary meeting of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) on ‘Question of Veto’. In his appeal to the chair of the IGN, Mr Akbaruddin has asked to consolidate the negotiating text on the basis of convergence reached on issues so far while also delineating the divergence and the contrarian view of some.

India’s position is aligned with the L.69 group of developing countries, as well as with the G-4. Mr Akbaruddin said that the two largest groups of Africa and L.69 are of the view that the veto should be abolished but as long as it exists, it should be extended to all members of the permanent category of the Security Council. Mr Akbaruddin also said that India and L.69 believe that all permanent members in a reformed council must enjoy all prerogatives and privileges of permanent membership in the permanent category including the right of the veto.

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