India on Thursday said it expects an "impartial" investigation by the International Criminal Court into war crimes committed during the Libyan conflict that punishes both Muammar Gaddafi's troops as well as opposition forces responsible for violence and killings during the uprising.
The United States has slapped fresh sanctions on dozens of Iranian firms and individuals having links with the country's nuclear and missile programme, expanding its list of penalties following the United Nations Security Council's fresh resolution.
Even as the United Nations Security Council voted to impose new and punitive sanctions against Iran for its alleged clandestine nuclear weapons program, the United States and India have apparently reached a modus vivendi vis--vis each other's concerns regarding Iran.
"There is no denying the fact that we voted against Iran at IAEA. The intention was to ensure that its nuclear issue does not go to the Security Council as it would entail sanctions and more problems," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said while rejecting allegations that India's foreign policy was being affected by the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday made a powerful call for early reform and expansion of the United Nations Security Council "to reflect contemporary reality" and asked nations not to allow the global economic slowdown to trigger protectionism through various barriers.
The envoys of member-nations of the council, which has often condemned human rights violations in member-states, have been very clear that the issue is not likely to come up during the meetings, and some have even questioned whether it posed a threat to international peace and security, a yardstick for council action. The Chinese diplomats said the issue did not come up in the council on Monday, maintaining it does not pose threat to international and peace and security.
The 193-member General Assembly adopted the draft resolution, put forward by Ukraine and its supporters, titled 'Principles of the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine'.
"We are the ones who go around the world lecturing everybody about democracy. I think it's about time we apply it to ourselves and then show that there is effective representation," Annan said.\n
In an alarming development, North Korea on Friday cancelled all non-aggression pacts with South Korea and cut off a hotline with Seoul after the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions on Pyongyang to punish it for its February 12 nuclear test.
Saran said there was considerable sentiment in African countries which recognised that the biggest beneficiary of Security Council reforms would be Africa.
The United Nations Security Council on Saturday voted unanimously on a resolution to send an advanced team of "unarmed" observers to Syria to monitor the implementation of cessation of armed violence in the country.
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.
This comes after the Hamas attack on Israel in which more than 1,400 Israelis were killed, mostly in the initial Hamas attack. In addition, 203 people were believed captured by Hamas during the incursion and taken into Gaza, the Israeli military has said.
A day after killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike in Beirut, Israel conducted widespread strikes in Lebanon on Sunday, killing over 100 people. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) also launched airstrikes on military targets in Yemen, specifically targeting Houthi-controlled sites, including power plants and a seaport.
Taken by surprise by United States President Barack Obama's endorsement of India's bid to gain permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council, the Pakistan foreign office called in the US envoy to convey its concerns over the move.
India, among the few countries to actively engage with the closed military regime that governs Myanmar, will not join the chorus of western voices condemning or criticising the just concluded 'polling' process in that country, in which the main opposition National League for Democracy led by Nobel Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was barred from contesting.
United States President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Tuesday left for Indonesia after concluding his three-day India visit.
Members of Parliament from diverse parts of India -- from the Naxalite-affected regions to south India -- react to President Obama's speech.
Ahead of his visit, United States President Barack Obama on Wednesday described India as a 'cornerstone' of US' engagement in Asia, but held out no assurances on key issues -- support for India's permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and ending curbs on the export of dual-use technology.
The United States on Saturday said India's position on the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty will not impact the nuclear agreement between the two countries and expressed hope about moving forward with the landmark agreement."We've said before that the resolution that was passed on Thursday unanimously by the United Nations Security Council does not have any bearing on our bilateral civil nuclear cooperation," said an US official.
"I believe it would a great thing if the president were to do this during his visit," Karl Inderfurth, professor of international relations at George Washington University, told Rediff India Abroad
With the adoption of the UNSC resolution on Sunday, it was for the first time in 40 years that the council decided to call for an emergency special session in the General Assembly.
Pakistan's "deceitful stand" on dialogue, while supporting terror and violence, "stands exposed" to the whole world, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters while replying to queries on Khan's remarks.
UNSC condemns Ahmadinejad's anti-Israeli statement
Australia on Thursday supported India's claim for a permanent seat in an expanded United Nations Security Council and said the decision of its ruling party on supplying uranium to New Delhi has removed any "potential irritant" in their growing bilateral relationship. On a three-day visit to India, Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith said the two countries have also agreed to look into prospects of enhancing practical military cooperation by holding bilateral exercises.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday once again called on the United States and other developed countries to take a leadership role in ensuring that reform takes place in the United Nations and its Security Council.
United States lawmakers feel that India had also failed to use its non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council to demonstrate why it should be a permanent member
India on Tuesday banned exports and imports of all items from North Korea that can be used in nuclear or ballistic missile plans. The Commerce Ministry imposed a blanket ban on "all items, materials, equipment, goods and technologies which could contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear-related, ballistic missile-related and other weapons of mass destruction-related programmes".
In an unusual gesture, United States President Barack Obama took German Chancellor Angela Merkel for a two-hour dinner at a Washington restaurant on the eve of their crucial official talks at the White House.
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.
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously voted to bring to an end the authorised international military action in Libya on October 31, following the death of Muammar Gaddafi that brought an end to the bloody conflict in the country. The resolution passed on Thursday said that the liberation of the North African country after Gaddafi's death offers better prospects for a "democratic, peaceful and prosperous future".
Traders are 'chowkidar' (watchman) of Indian economy, CAIT secretary general said.
Pakistani authorities have detained more than 60 leaders of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawah though no evidence linking them to the Mumbai attacks has been found so far, the interior ministry said on Friday. Intelligence and security agencies have detained the Jamaat leaders, including its chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, as part of the ongoing crackdown on the group designated as a terrorist outfit by the United Nations Security Council. Nothing incriminating has been found.
Criticising the UPA government for its soft approach towards terrorism, Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Tuesday alleged that the Central government has neither a policy nor the political will to deal with the menace.
The US has also urged the two South Asian neighbours to avoid further military action.
Hosting a summit of leaders of Germany, Japan and Brazil under the G-4 format, the PM said the UNSC "must include the world's largest democracies, major locomotives of the global economy, and voices from all the major continents" to carry "greater credibility and legitimacy".
The two leaders reaffirmed that the United States and India 'will take concerted action against all terrorist groups, including groups proscribed by the UNSCR 1267 Sanctions Committee'.
More than 5,00,000 people have left Ukraine since the start of Russia's military operation and about 1,60,000 have become internally displaced, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council on Monday.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, on Tuesday flagged the responsibilities which come along with a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council, saying India may also be required to send its troops on UN-backed missions to defend peace on foreign shores.
The government believes that the matter should remain within the jurisdiction of the International Atomic Energy Agency and not be referred to the United Nations Security Council.
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