Britain to support India for UN Security Council seat

LONDON: Britain will champion the cause of India being given a permanent seat in an expanded United Nations Security Council, Foreign Secretary David Miliband has said.

In the BBC's Newsnight programme, Miliband said he would raise the issue in his speech to the UN General Assembly later this week.

He said the expansion and reform of the UN Security Council was long-delayed and indicated that he would canvass for India, Brazil, Japan and South Africa to be made permanent members of the Council.
   
"I think it's perfectly legitimate for you to say Britain is a privileged member of the UN as a result of our membership of the Security Council. I think others have got a strong claim to join us there."
   
He said, "we think, very clearly, that the South Africas of this world, the Japans of this world, the Brazils of this world, the Indias of this world, have a very clear claim, and we will be arguing for UN reform," Miliband said.    

His speech would focus on "global inequalities" and argue that "one of the inequalities is about power," Miliband said. Bringing emerging powers like India on to the Security Council would be one way of removing such inequalities.