New Delhi, May 20
With barely a month left before the draft resolution of G-4 countries (India, Germany, Japan and Brazil) for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council comes up before the UN General Assembly for discussion and possible voting, it is time for India to do some tactical diplomacy and focus on ‘difficult’ countries.
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is already in Washington where he has been told by American officials that the USA had not yet taken a final position on India’s candidature for UNSC.
As India’s campaign for UNSC permanent membership goes into the decisive phase, Minister of State for External Affairs, Rao Inderjit Singh, is scheduled to leave for Italy and Spain on May 23 to do some sensitive diplomacy: to soften the two “difficult” countries who are acting as spoilsports in the Indian quest.
The UNSC issue will be on the agenda of President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam when he leaves for a tour of Russia, Switzerland, Iceland and Ukraine. While Russia is fully supportive of India’s candidature, the other three countries have not yet made their position clear.
The G-4 draft resolution on the UNSC issue would come up before the UNCA next month end. The entire procedure, including voting, if necessary, is likely to be completed by July. India needs 128 out of 191 votes to get a seat on the high table of the UNSC.
The brief of Mr Inderjit Singh during his forthcoming visit to Italy and Spain is to make sure that these two countries do not vote against India if the matter comes to the voting stage. The Italian origin of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will be an added advantage.
Italy can spoil the Indian party. Italy is in the forefront, along with countries like Pakistan, of a campaign to counter the efforts of Group of Four for permanent membership of the to-be-expanded UNSC. Spain’s position is ambiguous so far but it is more with “them” than with “us” on the UNSC issue.
The minister told this correspondent today that India did not want a diplomatic apartheid in the UNSC. In specific reference to his visit to Italy and Spain, Rao Inderjit Singh said: “As far as the media perception goes, these two countries are playing spoilsport from our point of view.
This may be correct to a certain extent. My brief is to drum up support for India for the UNSC.
By next month, the G-4 countries are entering a crucial phase of their bid for permanent membership when their resolution will reach the voting stage. We require three-fourth majority support if this resolution has to be carried. Which means we will need 128 votes out of 191.
India does not want that there should be an A Class member or a B Class member in the UNSC.”
Rao Inderjit Singh admitted that it may be difficult for Italy to support G-4 as a group on the UNSC issue, but added: “My effort would be to try and make the Italians see the point that at least bilaterally they should not vote against us, if it comes to voting.”
The strategy India is adopting at present on the UNSC issue is that presently it is not focussing on the veto power. The impression India has been conveying to difficult customers in the international community is that it is not fixated upon the veto power and is just focussing on the permanent membership.
Mr Inderjit Singh confirmed the approach when he said: “We are not talking about the veto as of now. Right now our effort is to garner maximum support for the G-4 resolution so that a message goes to the P-5 countries that they should be cautious about using veto. Because a single veto can derail the entire process. The perception of the media generally is that India’s candidature (for UNSC permanent membership) is more or less certain, whether with veto or not. One single veto by any of the P-5 countries — whether it is China or the USA — can derail the entire effort. So, a little bit of restraint is required on part of the media. All is not hunky dory. It’s a path strewn with thorns.”
