India A Strong Contestant For Permanent Security Council Seat, Says Krishna

After being elected as a non-permanent member of the UNSC (United Nations Security Council), India is now seeking to overcome the obstacles standing in its way to become a permanent member of the Security Council.

Asserting that India is responsible enough to fulfill the various obligations of a non-permanent UNSC member, India's External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said that the margin of victory proves that his country is a strong contestant for permanent membership.

Krishna was talking to editors a day after India secured 187 votes in the 192-member UN to be elected as a non-permanent UNSC member for the 2011-2012 period after a 19-year gap. The minister expressed hope that as a non-permanent member India can handle all the key challenges facing the body.

The margin of victory, combined with the presence of India's G-4 partners, Brazil and Germany in the Security Council and South Africa as a non-permanent member have obviously provided a boost to New Delhi's campaign for permanent membership.

All these nations are strongly urging for UNSC reforms and at Japan's behest, the foreign ministers of G-4 including Krishna talked about the council expansion last month on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly. The permanent members, however, are not as keen on the matter as the developing nations, making reforms a challenging task.
 
Krishna also rejected reports that President Obama has linked the UN Security Council reforms with India resolving the Kashmir dispute.