PM leaves for New York on Wednesday to attend UNGA

New Delhi, Sept 20 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh leaves for New York on Wednesday to attend the United
Nations General Assembly session on Saturday where India will
push for reforms of the Security Council to reflect current
realities and early adoption of a convention on terrorism that
will provide a global framework to fight the menace.
Singh, who will be accompanied by External Affairs
Minister S M Krishna, National Security Adviser Shivshankar
Menon and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, would represent
India at the high-level segment of the General Assembly on
Saturday and deliver his address.
During the session, India, along with other members of
the G-4 (Brazil, Japan and Germany), will work to push for
reforms of the UNSC at the earliest for robust international
security and peacekeeping operations.
The G4 members are keen on getting permanent membership
of the UNSC.
Currently, India and Germany are non-permanent members
of the Security Council.
As the session takes places at a time of continuing
global economic and financial uncertainties, India, as an
emerging major economy, will reaffirm its commitment to
working with the UN on furthering global economic and fiscal
stability and balanced growth.
There is no meeting scheduled between Singh and US
President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to leave New York
before the Prime Minister’s arrival.
However, Singh, who is attending the UNGA after a gap of
two years, is likely to have meetings with others heads of
state or government, officials said.
The officials said India's priorities in the current
session of the UNGA would include continuing its efforts for
reform of the world body with a view to creating an equitable
system that is reflective of contemporary realities.
"We feel that unless comprehensive reform of the UN
Security Council is undertaken, the process of UN reforms
would only be piecemeal and incomplete.
"We along with the G-4 and other like-minded countries
would continue to work proactively, to maintain the momentum
for UN Security Council reforms," Mathai had said on Saturday,
while briefing reporters about the visit.
During the session, India will push for an early
adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International
Terrorism (CCIT) that will provide a global normative
framework against terrorism.
Officials said the country will reiterate the need for
strong international cooperation and collective action against
terrorism.
India would call for greater mobilisation of resources,
including honouring of ODA commitments, and policy action for
attaining the MDGs.
The country will also actively engage with UN member
states on human rights issues and to strengthen the UN’s
humanitarian operations.
India will also be actively participating in the UN
high- level event on Nuclear Safety and Security which will be
held on September 22.
On the sidelines, the G4 countries would meet to work
out a common plan of action.