India will push hard for an early implementation of comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council and expansion in its membership when inter-governmental negotiations on the issue begin in New York today.

India has repeatedly stressed that mere cosmetic changes to the UN Security Council will not improve its effectiveness and has asked its five permanent members to realise that the reform of the powerful body, including its expansion, is necessary to reflect contemporary realities. Discussions will take place in five rounds of talks, which will run through April.

The first meeting, slated for today, will have the G 4 nations – India, Brazil, Germany and Japan, taking the floor. During the meeting of the G-4 nations, focus will be on a short resolution that calls for early reforms of the Security Council, expansion in both its permanent and non- permanent categories and improvement in its working methods.

The four nations said, they have garnered support of over 80 member states for comprehensive UNSC reforms and such strong support for the initiative should be considered as the basis for further discussion in the ongoing intergovernmental negotiations.

The negotiations will be chaired by Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Zaheer Tanin. Mr Tanin is the Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on the question of equitable representation and increase in the membership of the Security Council.