Reply #37: W's nuclear pact with India was part of a concerted effort to undermine the NPT. And W

[struggle4progress]

in the eight years of his Presidency never supported India's bid for a security council seat: his administration played coy "maybe" games around the issue

Last Updated: Wednesday, 22 September, 2004, 12:51 GMT 13:51 UK
Analysis: India's Security Council seat bid
By Ethirajan Anbarasan
BBC Tamil service
... For more than a decade, India has been calling for expansion of the council by including developing countries to ensure it is more representative ... Of the five permanent members (P-5) with powers to veto any resolution, three - Britain, France and Russia - have openly supported India's case, thanks to India's intense lobbying. In addition, some African and West Asian nations have endorsed India's claim ... The other two members of the P-5 group, the United States and China have not stated their formal positions ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3679968.stm

US refuses to allow Veto power to India – India should refuse to participate in United Nations Security Council as a second-class member
Preetam Sohani
May 15, 2005
... ‘‘The one clear statement to come from Washington is the warning about veto power’’ sought by India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, said New York Times quoting senior diplomats and administration officials. ‘‘The administration officials said they were opposed to giving new members veto power out of concern that it might paralyse the Security Council,’’ the daily said. The United States’ view of the ‘group of four’s effort remains uncertain, leading some diplomats to worry that Washington may actually oppose expanding the Security Council because it would dilute American power, the daily said ... http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/2710.asp

Bush, Schroeder discuss Security Council reform, Iran
US News
By Mike McCarthy Jun 27, 2005, 23:35 GMT
Washington - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder came away from his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush Monday satisfied that the United States does not oppose Germany's bid for a permanent seat the U.N. Security Council ... The United States has publicly supported only Japan and wants a second country to also receive permanent membership, but has not named the country. Germany wants six new permanent members added to the 15-nation council was well as four new rotating members. "We oppose no country's bid for the Security Council," Bush said ... http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/usa/news/article_1023918.php/Bush_Schroeder_discuss_Security_Council_reform_Iran

China, US to jointly oppose UN expansion
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-08-05 06:49
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - China and the United States have agreed to work together to defeat plans to expand the prestigious U.N. Security Council at this time, China's U.N. ambassador said on Thursday ... The agreement came in a brief meeting with John Bolton, the George W. Bush administration's new ambassador to the United Nations, Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters. Bolton, who was sworn in on Monday, was not immediately available for comment ... http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/05/content_466532.htm

Bolton Rejects UN Council Plan
Says Expansion Efforts Will Fail
By Beth Gardiner
Associated Press
October 15, 2005
John R. Bolton, America's ambassador to the United Nations, predicted yesterday that efforts to greatly expand the Security Council would fail. Bolton's remarks were a rare case of a US official publicly speculating on the outcome of a bitter debate to overhaul the Security Council. In the past, he and other officials have repeated strong US opposition to rival proposals for adding at least 10 seats to the 15-nation body ... Making the Security Council too large would undermine that goal, he said. Increasing the number of seats to 25 or 26 ''gives us great pause," he said, adding that the maximum that Washington could support would be 20 seats ... Giving his first talk in Europe since taking his post in August, Bolton noted previous efforts to restructure the powerful Security Council had foundered. ''Our prediction would be that this latest effort at changing the composition of the council is not going to succeed," he said at the Chatham House foreign affairs think tank. He reiterated Washington's support for Japan's bid to become a permanent member of the council, but did not say what other countries America might back ... http://www.globalpolicy.org/component/content/article/200/41229.html