In a statement later, the White House said Biden and Netanyahu discussed Israel's military campaign in Gaza, including its "objectives and phasing".
French President Nicholas Sarkozy, who kicked off his 4-day India visit in Bengaluru on Saturday, made a strong case for India's inclusion as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.It was unthinkable that India was not yet a permanent member of the UNSC, said Sarkozy, who is visiting India with his wife Carla Bruni.
Just a week after President Barack Obama's endorsement for India's permanent membership in the UN Security Council, the US has said no breakthrough is expected "anytime soon" on the UNSC reforms.
Amid a call by G-4 countries comprising India, Brazil, Germany and Japan for a quick UNSC reform, the state-run Chinese media has said that any attempt to rush through "premature plans" could harm the process and undermine the world body's unity.
UNSC condemns Ahmadinejad's anti-Israeli statement
The United Nations Security Council has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Israeli embassy staff in India, saying any acts of terrorism are "criminal and unjustifiable". A statement issued by UNSC President Kodjo Menan of Togo said Council members "condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in New Delhi, India aimed at Israel's diplomatic personnel, which resulted in injuries to diplomatic personnel and civilians."
The resolution unveiled by India said the new entrants should have the "same responsibilities and obligations" as the permanent members, including veto power.
Asserting that the majority members of the UN General Assembly support expansion of the Security Council, India today said that the body would remain beset with the "current problem" unless it was reformed.
The UN General Assembly on Monday adopted a negotiating text by consensus for the long-pending Security Council reforms, setting the stage for talks on the issue at its 70th session beginning on Tuesday, boosting India's bid for a permanent seat in the revamped world body.
The United States would veto any resolution on Palestine statehood in the powerful United Nations Security Council, a top American official said on Friday, arguing that any statehood recognition should come through bilateral negotiations with Israel
As India and other G-4 countries stepped up efforts to get permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council, Pakistan has claimed that its opposition to expansion of the world body's top organ was not 'country-specific'.
What are India's chances of getting a permanent seat in a revamped UN Security Council?
India has reiterated its reluctance to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty despite United States President Barack Obama's call for all nations to sign the disputed pact.
The US has so far endorsed only Japan's bid.
Japan denies giving up bid for a permanent seat on the UNSC
"Our mission in New York (at the UN headquarters) is trying to break the long-standing deadlock over reform, and we will continue with our efforts to persuade Governments that India should have a permanent seat on the Security Council -- alongside Brazil, Japan and Germany, and that there should be representation from Africa," Minister for the Middle East Kim Howells told Labour lawmaker Ashok Kumar in the House of Commons in London on Wednesday.
China opposed expansion of the United Nations Security Council in 2005 by prevailing on the United States not to dilute the prime position enjoyed by five veto-wielding members by adding more as it would create "trouble" for them, according to leaked US cable by WikiLeaks.
Pakistan and China strongly feel that India should not become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, as it would disturb the balance of power in the region, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday.
Real negotiations to reform the United Nations Security Council, for which India, Japan, Germany and Brazil have been pressing for a long time, may begin this year to meet demands to enlarge the top world body and include these countries as permanent members.
Backing India's bid for a permanent membership, United States has started reaching out to other Security Council members on the reform of the apex United Nations body but said it could not set a target date for expansion of the UNSC.
His comment comes weeks after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi during which both the leaders discussed strengthening trade and infrastructure relations.
India is one of the countries aiming for a seat on an expanded UNSC.
French President Nicholas Sarkozy made a strong pitch for India's inclusion as a permanent member of the UN Security Council on Tuesday, which he said needs to be expanded to make it more inclusive."Did you know that India... in 30 years time... the world's most populous nation, doesn't have a permanent seat on the Security Council?" said the French president, hosted by Columbia University as part of the World Leaders Forum.
India will participate in a debate on reform and expansion of United Nations Security Council to be held at the world body on December 11, government told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
White House Spokesman Tony Snow evaded a question on a seat for India in the UNSC saying he was 'not aware' of any official position on the issue.
Ahead of a visit to India, United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday expressed hope that the Security Council's reform process will be accelerated to meet expectations of countries like India which are keen to play a bigger role as permanent members of the powerful UN body.
Closed meetings are not open to the public and no verbatim record of statements is kept.
'The message that India has conveyed since the start of this conflict is clear and consistent. It is important to prevent escalation to ensure continued delivery of humanitarian aid and to work towards an early restoration of peace and stability. A peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward'
The United States should support India's bid for a permanent United Nations Security Council seat and work actively for the expansion of the top multilateral body, former American diplomat Karl Inderfurth said on Thursday."It is time for the US to publicly support India's bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and to work actively with India and others to accomplish the goal of expansion of the UNSC," he said.
India has slammed the "indifference" of some UNSC towards restraining terrorists, saying it has questioned the Security Council's ability to combat terrorism.
India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador K Nagaraj Naidu, on Monday wrote a letter to President of the 74th Session of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, expressing New Delhi's strong disappointment over the decision regarding roll-over of the intergovernmental negotiations (IGN) on UNSC reforms into the next session of the General Assembly that begins this month.
The United States will host a team from India at the State Department over two days beginning on Monday to discuss strategy for a way forward toward UNSC expansion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday said he views the current situation in Ukraine as an issue of humanity and human values and not of politics or economy even as he called for respecting international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations.
The diplomat made the remarks replying to lawmakers' questions on New Delhi abstaining from several UN vote on Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Russia has informed the United Nations Security Council that Russian buses are ready at crossing points to go to the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationals who are stranded there, amidst the raging conflict in the East European country.
President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday indicated that she will seek China's support for India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council during her six-day visit to the country, the first by an Indian head of state in a decade.
Guterres, who opened an emergency meeting of the 15-nation Security Council on Ukraine late Wednesday, in his brief off-the-cuff remarks said 'if indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart: President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died'.
Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque conveyed his country's position when he met External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly's session in New York on Saturday.
The resolution, sponsored among others by Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Palestine, demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza and reiterated its demand that all parties comply with their obligations under international law, "notably with regard to the protection of civilians."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says China 'protects' violent Islamic terror groups from UN sanctions.
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