India is hopeful of becoming a non-permanent member of the Security Council of the United Nations in 2011 and after that the process for permanent membership can be furthered, Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor said here on Friday.
“We certainly expect to be a non-permanent member in 2011-12 and after that we can take the next step towards permanent membership of the Security Council,” Mr. Thaoor, who was the former United Nations Under-Secretary General for Communication and Public Information, said.
“We already have begun the campaigning for the election among the member nations of the General Assembly. Wherever I travel or even the Foreign Minister or the Foreign Secretary go abroad, we seek their support,” he said.
India is contesting against Kazakhstan for the Asian seat in the Security Council for the term 2011-12. The elections, to be held in 2010, are usually held in the second week of October, Mr. Tharoor said.
On being asked about India’s chances of securing a permanent membership at the Security Council when Mr. Tharoor said, “I don’t think it is happening overnight. There is a process and we are determined to go through it.”
Speaking at a symposium on “Role of United Nations in a Changing World,” he said, there was certainly a need for some institutional changes in the United Nations, but there was no substitute for the universal organisation.
When questioned about the undemocratic nature of the veto power, he cited the historical reasons for it being conceived but also indicated that India might not demand it.
“For now we must accept the reality of the veto, but new permanent members may not seek it precisely for its undemocratic nature.”
