Overwhelming support got India UN seat: Krishna

NEW DELHI - External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna Tuesday attributed the country’s winning a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council to the “overwhelming support” it enjoyed in the global arena.

Addressing a press conference here moments after it was announed at the United Nations that India had won a non-permanent Security Council seat, Krishna thanked the global community on the country’s behalf for their overwhelming support.

This “reflects the expectations of the international community”, he said.

Krishna said the victory was indicative of India’s major role on the world stage in areas like combating terrorism and climate change.

He said India’s immediate priority as a Security Council member will be to establish “peace and stability” in the country’s immediate and extended neighbourhood.

“We live in a troubled neighbourhood,” the minister noted.

India will take a seat on the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member after a gap of nearly two decades, winning the Asian seat Tuesday with 187 of the 191 votes in the United Nations General Assembly poll.

With Kazakhstan withdrawing from the race in January, India became the sole candidate from the Asian region and its election to the non-permanent seat had become a near certainty.

India last held a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 1992.

South Africa and Colombia also won the African and Latin American seats for a two-year term on the powerful decision making body starting Jan 1, 2011.