India reiterates demand to expand UN Security Council

October 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Reciprocating Bahrain's support for its UN Security Council (UNSC) aspirations, India Tuesday said it will support the Gulf country's bid for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC in 2026-27. Bahrain reiterated its position that Indias permanent membership in the Security Council would be a stabilising influence in the whole region, the external affairs ministry said here Tuesday, a day after Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor held talks with leaders of the Gulf country.

September 26th, 2009 PITTSBURGH - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has made it clear that neither will India sign pacts like the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nor does the new UN Security Council resolution make such a demand. "We have been assured that this not a resolution directed at India and the US commitment to carry out its obligations under the civilian nuclear deal that we have signed remains undiluted," the prime minister said here Friday night.

September 12th, 2009 WELLINGTON - Two India-born men have been appointed senior officials of the India-New Zealand Business Council, a body set up to promote trade between the two countries. Prominent Auckland-based businessman Wenceslaus Anthony will be the new chairperson of the council, while Wellington-based New Zealand-India trade specialist Raga D'Silva will be the new deputy chairperson.

September 10th, 2009 TRIPOLI - Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi has said he will demand a permanent place in the UN's Security Council for Africa and compensation worth $777 trillion for years of colonialism in New York later this month. "I will tell the world that Africa deserves a $777-trillion compensation for the years of colonialism, massacres and slavery it was subjected to," Gaddafi told African leaders gathered in Tripoli Wednesday night.

July 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - With India playing a "vastly more significant role" in global issues, the US looks at Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's India visit as "a tremendous opportunity" to deepen bilateral ties and expand New Delhi's role. As Clinton herself noted a couple of days ago, "relations between the world's largest democracy and the world's oldest democracy have improved significantly over the last 20 years," State Department spokesman Philip J.

July 10th, 2009 L'AQUILA - French President Nicolas Sarkozy is pushing for an expansion of the Group of Eight (G8). "The G8 are no longer representative enough to manage the economic crisis," Sarkozy said Thursday in L'Aquila, Italy, after the close of the second day of the summit of the world's seven leading industrialised democracies plus Russia.

June 23rd, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - India has reiterated its demand for "real reform" of the UN Security Council with expansion in both permanent and non-permanent membership of the world body's top decision making organ. Noting that the overwhelming majority of member states has unambiguously sought "real reform" in two rounds of negotiations, India's Permanent Representative Hardeep Singh Puri Monday hoped the third round of negotiations will be focused and action oriented.

June 13th, 2009 SEOUL - North Korea said Saturday that it would build more nuclear weapons in reaction to the United Nations Security Council resolution condemning its most recent nuclear test. It also said it would respond militarily to any attempt by the US and other countries to isolate it or impose a "blockade", according to a statement from the foreign ministry reported by the official Korean Central News Agency.

May 25th, 2009 NEW YORK - The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the new challenge presented by North Korea's testing of a nuclear device. The 15-nation council met in a closed-door session after the council's five permanent members - the US, Russia, China, Britain and France - along with Japan and South Korea held a separate meeting to consider action against the Pyongyang government.

May 23rd, 2009 NEW YORK - The UN Security Council issued Friday a statement expressing "concern" over the trial of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by Myanmar's military junta, calling for her release as well as the release of "all political prisoners". The council issued a press statement rather than a more formal statement from the council president as demanded by Britain.

February 21st, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - China has called for a greater representation of developing countries, in particular those from Africa, in a reformed UN Security Council. 'In the reform of the Security Council, priority should be given to the greater representation of developing countries, in particular African ones,' China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui told an informal plenary of the General Assembly Thursday.

February 19th, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - China has called for a greater representation of developing countries, in particular those from Africa, in a reformed UN Security Council. 'In the reform of the Security Council, priority should be given to the greater representation of developing countries, in particular African ones,' China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui told an informal plenary of the General Assembly Thursday.

February 19th, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - China has called for a greater representation of developing countries, in particular those from Africa, in a reformed UN Security Council. 'In the reform of the Security Council, priority should be given to the greater representation of developing countries, in particular African ones,' China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui told an informal plenary of the General Assembly Thursday.

February 19th, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - China has called for a greater representation of developing countries, in particular those from Africa, in a reformed UN Security Council. 'In the reform of the Security Council, priority should be given to the greater representation of developing countries, in particular African ones,' China's UN Ambassador Zhang Yesui told an informal plenary of the General Assembly Thursday.

January 3rd, 2009 NEW YORK - No agreement was reached among the members of the UN Security Council after discussions on the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip, the president of the council said late Saturday. 'There was no formal agreement among the members of the Security Council,' said Jean-Maurice Ripert, France's UN ambassador who holds the council presidency for January.