NEW DELHI, 28 April 2005 — India yesterday renewed its demand for veto right for new permanent members of a reformed UN Security Council, asserting there should be no discrimination between current permanent members and new ones.

Speaking at a luncheon he hosted for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh said the Security Council needed to be reformed and enlarged in both permanent and non-permanent categories “to make it truly representative and reflect the current global realities”.

India has been lobbying for a permanent seat in the Security Council, joining forces in the bid with three other aspirants — Japan, Germany and Brazil.

Singh said the reformed Security Council should include both developed and developing countries.

“An enlarged Security Council in both permanent and non-permanent categories will not only enhance its authority and make it more representative but also contribute to wider acceptance of its decisions, increasing the power of persuasion and minimizing the use of coercive measures,” he said.

Natwar said the UN is at a critical juncture as it was imperative for the world body to change the way it is structured and works as also its policy direction and agenda.

“The United Nations must truly reflect contemporary global realities and take the lead in serving the interests of all,” he said.

Expressing appreciation for the initiative Annan had taken to reform the UN, Natwar said the body’s architecture has remained frozen in history and reflected the realities of the past.

“Its agenda is being increasingly determined by the priorities of a few. It is clear that to meet the challenges of the 21st century, the United Nations will have to reform to make it a more effective and efficient instrument to tackle shared threats and shared needs.

“It is important that developing countries which constitute the vast majority of the membership should be able to decisively influence the global agenda in all its aspects,” he said.

Annan held wide-ranging discussions yesterday in separate meetings with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Natwar Singh. He also met Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and leader of the opposition L.K. Advani.

Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told reporters the “mechanics” of UN reforms came up for “extensive discussions” in the talks and both sides agreed on the need for reforms to be achieved at a UN summit in September.