G8, G5 in chorus with PM's call for UN reforms

Leaders of the Group of Eight Industrialised countries (G-8) and five emerging market economies (G-5) on Thursday backed calls by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make the United Nations more legitimate to reflect contemporary realities.

The G8-G5 leaders including Manmohan Singh at their summit pledged to advance UN reforms to reflect contemporary reality but were silent on bids by countries for a permanent seat in the Security Council.

Giving an assessment of how the future of the UN should be, the 13 leaders at the Summit said, " We are committed to advance reform processes in international organisations, including the UN, to reflect contemporary reality and challenges thus enhancing their relevance, legitimacy and efficiency."

Some of the G-5 countries like India, South Africa and Brazil have made a strong pitch for expansion of the Security Council so that they could have a seat. China, a G-5 country, is already a P-5 member. Mexico is the 5th G-5 nation.

Ahead of the Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said, "The UNSC has not changed at all and its present structure poses serious problems of legitimacy."

"The system of two-tiered membership, which gives a veto to the five permanent members i.e. the nations that emerged victorious after the Second World War, is clearly anachronistic," Singh had said.