Monday, November 08, 2010

Obama Supports U.N. Seat for India - NYTimes.com

Obama Supports U.N. Seat for India - NYTimes.com:

"Many Indian officials had worried that the Obama administration was less interested in India than China, and that the bilateral relationship was lacking a “big idea,” like the landmark civilian nuclear agreement between the two countries under former President George W. Bush.

American foreign policy experts have expressed much the same concern. In a recent report, the Center for a New American Security, a research institution in Washington, warned that “the rapid expansion of ties has stalled,” and encouraged the Obama administration to address the problem by supporting India’s effort to win a security council seat.

India’s foreign policy establishment had been divided on the issue, with some arguing that the United Nations is increasingly outdated compared with groups like the Group of 20, where India is a major player. Mr. Obama and Mr. Singh will meet again at the G-20 meeting in Seoul, South Korea, later this week.

“A country of our size, with our civilizational heritage, I don’t think we should be canvassing or banging the door to get in,” Ronen Sen, who recently retired as India’s ambassador to the United States, said before Mr. Obama spoke. “Why should we be bothered? Maybe it is a colonial hangover. We want to get into every club.”

Lalit Mansingh, a retired Indian diplomat, said Mr. Obama’s announcement was as critical to the United Nations as it was to India, because Indian officials were beginning to doubt the relevance of the global body and were placing more importance on the G-20, where India plays a significant role.

“It is a key moment both for India and the future of the United Nations,” Mr. Mansingh, who also is a former ambassador to the United States, said as Mr. Obama prepared to address Parliament. “If you defer this much further, I don’t think people will be excited about the U.N. It is not a key player in Iraq. It is not a key player in Afghanistan. It is beginning to lose its relevance and might.”

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