Do not remain on the wrong side of history, India tells Pak - US - World - NEWS - The Times of India
WASHINGTON: India has urged Pakistan not to remain on the "wrong side of history" in an "inevitable" recasting of the UN Security Council
membership as the world body finally began focusing on a reform model favored by a majority of the states in the teeth of opposition from Islamabad and a few other disgruntled capitals.
A UN panel meeting on the subject on Wednesday was the scene of testy, but indirect, exchanges between the Indian permanent representative and his Pakistani counterpart, who had earlier opposed not only creating "new centers of privilege" in the world body, but even the focused session to discuss the issue.
"While membership categories is one of the five key issues, and it is certainly one of the most contentious ones, there is little justification to accord it a preferential status vis-à-vis the other issues," Abdulla Haroon complained bitterly, as Pakistan continued procedural stalling on the matter, fearful that progress in the discussion would result in India gaining an entry into the permanent security council category.
Pakistan favors a proposal to increase only the non-permanent category, if at all.
That stalling brought out a taunting retort from the Indian envoy Hardeep Singh Puri, who, without naming Pakistan, challenged the "nay-sayers" to a straw poll to see which proposal had greater support. "To remain in this negative mould only defers the inevitable; it does not change it," Puri said in cutting remarks clearly aimed at Pakistan, urging it and other opponents to join in focusing attention ahead "and not revisit old and discredited arguments."
While the wrangle between the two sides over action against Pakistani terrorists attacking India dominates debates in the sub-continent, Islamabad's obduracy in blocking India's progress is a regular feature in the international arena. At the UN, Pakistan, supported by Italy (which is opposed to Germany's promotion) and a few other countries have suggested a majority of member are against expansion.
Puri said "only 12, or at best 15," delegations have ever objected to an expansion in the permanent membership. The rest, even the P-5, have not objected, not once, in repeated rounds of open negotiations.
"The reality is they, the minority, are equally aware of the fact that it is they who stand on the wrong side of the tide. Hence their vociferous objections, in the forlorn hope that stridency can substitute for a lack of numbers," Puri said, offering a straw poll on the issue.
Under the proposal backed by the so-called G-4 (India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil), the UN SC membership would increase by 6 permanent and 4 non-permanent members. Two each of the new permanent members would be from Asia and Africa, and one each from Latin America and Europe. The four new non-permanent seats would be equally filled between Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
The new permanent members would have rights and responsibilities "on parallel" with existing permanent members, including the right to the veto. However, they would not exercise the veto power until the question of the extension of the right of veto to new permanent members is decided through a review after 15 years from the date of entry into force of the reform measures.
WASHINGTON: India has urged Pakistan not to remain on the "wrong side of history" in an "inevitable" recasting of the UN Security Council
membership as the world body finally began focusing on a reform model favored by a majority of the states in the teeth of opposition from Islamabad and a few other disgruntled capitals.
A UN panel meeting on the subject on Wednesday was the scene of testy, but indirect, exchanges between the Indian permanent representative and his Pakistani counterpart, who had earlier opposed not only creating "new centers of privilege" in the world body, but even the focused session to discuss the issue.
"While membership categories is one of the five key issues, and it is certainly one of the most contentious ones, there is little justification to accord it a preferential status vis-à-vis the other issues," Abdulla Haroon complained bitterly, as Pakistan continued procedural stalling on the matter, fearful that progress in the discussion would result in India gaining an entry into the permanent security council category.
Pakistan favors a proposal to increase only the non-permanent category, if at all.
That stalling brought out a taunting retort from the Indian envoy Hardeep Singh Puri, who, without naming Pakistan, challenged the "nay-sayers" to a straw poll to see which proposal had greater support. "To remain in this negative mould only defers the inevitable; it does not change it," Puri said in cutting remarks clearly aimed at Pakistan, urging it and other opponents to join in focusing attention ahead "and not revisit old and discredited arguments."
While the wrangle between the two sides over action against Pakistani terrorists attacking India dominates debates in the sub-continent, Islamabad's obduracy in blocking India's progress is a regular feature in the international arena. At the UN, Pakistan, supported by Italy (which is opposed to Germany's promotion) and a few other countries have suggested a majority of member are against expansion.
Puri said "only 12, or at best 15," delegations have ever objected to an expansion in the permanent membership. The rest, even the P-5, have not objected, not once, in repeated rounds of open negotiations.
"The reality is they, the minority, are equally aware of the fact that it is they who stand on the wrong side of the tide. Hence their vociferous objections, in the forlorn hope that stridency can substitute for a lack of numbers," Puri said, offering a straw poll on the issue.
Under the proposal backed by the so-called G-4 (India, Germany, Japan, and Brazil), the UN SC membership would increase by 6 permanent and 4 non-permanent members. Two each of the new permanent members would be from Asia and Africa, and one each from Latin America and Europe. The four new non-permanent seats would be equally filled between Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
The new permanent members would have rights and responsibilities "on parallel" with existing permanent members, including the right to the veto. However, they would not exercise the veto power until the question of the extension of the right of veto to new permanent members is decided through a review after 15 years from the date of entry into force of the reform measures.
