UN-INDIA 2 LST

In 2009, member states of the UN had finally abandoned
the 'Open Ended Working Group' (OEWG) on the issue that had
dragged on for 15 years without yielding any substantive
results. In March last year, the old talks were replaced by
the new "inter-governmental negotiations."
At the meeting in the UN headquarters, India also
underlined the need for equitable geographical distribution.
"India supports a Charter-based distribution of seats
that addresses the lack of representation of African, Latin
American and Caribbean countries and the lack of adequate
representation of Asian countries in the permanent
membership," Puri said.
This year, India is also running for a non-permanent seat
of the Council for which elections will be held in October.
Puri and his team have been canvassing for the spot for the
past three years.
Earlier this year, Kazakhstan's withdrew from the
electoral race leaving India with a clean slate for 2010-11.
To win, India needs two-thirds of the General Assembly
vote, which adds up to about 128 counties saying 'yes' to New
Delhi's presence in the Security Council. PTI