India a contender for permanent membership in UNSC: Reform negotiations head

United Nations: India will definitely stake a claim to permanent membership, if and when the UN Security Council's strength is raised from the current 15 to between 21 and 27.

"As a main player on the world stage," India will surely be a contender, according to the Co-chair of the reform negotiations Tareq M.A.M. AlBanai.

India, with the largest population in the world, has long been arguing for a permanent place on the world body based on its size, population, resources and role in international affairs including its diplomatic presence in them.

He said on Thursday, "The goal of this reformed Council must be (that it is) representative and obviously, India is a main player on the world stage today."

"Surely if the decision is made that expansion of the council goes anywhere from 21 to 27 members, then surely India will be a contender in that," he added.

But he also said that "will be subject to the decision of the wider membership".

AlBanai pointed out that the UN has "a membership of 193 countries" and "the consideration is (for it to be) representative for everybody and the whole membership of the United Nations".

He recalled his visit to India last year with former Austrian Ambassador Alexander Marschik, who was then the co-chair of the negotiation process, and said he had "conversations there at the highest level".

AlBanai, the permanent representative of Kuwait, heads the reform process known formally as Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) and briefed reporters on the progress made.

On an issue that India has been pressing -- the adoption of a negotiating text for the IGN -- he was confident that it would be adopted.

A small group of countries known as 'Uniting for Consensus', which includes Pakistan and is led by Italy, opposes expanding permanent membership of the Council and prevents the adoption of a negotiating text to delay the reforms indefinitely.

AlBanai said, "Obviously, this process will lead us to text-based negotiations, because I think that is the least complicated part of this process."

"The most complicated part is to have consensus on what that text contains, and then putting it on paper is not really going to be that difficult to be honest with you," he said.

AlBanai did not sound very hopeful that the reform would be completed soon.

"If I were to say we can finish this in a year, I would be misleading you," he said, because of the complexity of reforms "that will be effective for the next 100 years".

While AlBanai said that 2030 -- five years from now – "is a realistic target," he added the caveat, "But I can't guarantee it by 2030 or any other year for that matter."

Speaking of difficulties in the reform process, he cautioned that it is complex and requires patience mainly because the process of amending the UN charter is complicated in itself.

"And the process needs to last with us for the next 100 years, at least, so that it can adapt to every possibility that the United Nations and the World faces," he said.

"So, let's hope that this process continues on a positive trajectory, which it has been for the last few years," he added.

He said that an open "structured dialogue" without "artificial deadlines or barriers" will help bring about consensus on reforms.

(Inputs from IANS)