The Hindu : Front Page : China backtracks on U.N. Council issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 17, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

China backtracks on U.N. Council issue

Vladimir Radyuhin

YEKATERINBURG: China blocked Russia’s proposal to express support for India and Brazil’s U.N. Security Council bids in the joint communiqué adopted by the BRIC Foreign Ministers here on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jechi dug in his heels against the Russian initiative, informed sources said. Crisis talks continued till Friday morning and the compromise formula made no reference to the Security Council.

“The Ministers of Russia and China reiterated that their countries attach importance to the status of India and Brazil in international affairs, and understand and support India’s and Brazil’s aspirations to play a greater role in the United Nations,” the communiqué said.

China has therefore backtracked on its earlier support for India’s membership in the Security Council that was articulated during a bilateral summit in Beijing.

Speaking at the BRIC meeting, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee complained that developing countries were not represented in the Security Council even as most decisions there affected them. He stressed that any restructuring of the Council must include developing countries.

For his part, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Celso Amorin warned that unless the Council was reformed, the U.N. risked being sidelined by other organisations and forums.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page