A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday that given India's rise and its significance, the South Asian nation will be a central part of any consideration of a reformed United Nations Security Council, Xinhua reported.
"The United States recognizes the significance of looking at ways to adapt international architecture, including the UN Security Council, to reflect the realities of the 21st century," U. S. Undersecretary of State William Burns said at a White House news briefing on President Barack Obama's upcoming trip to India.
"We want to approach that challenge in a way that ensures the effectiveness and hopefully strengthens the effectiveness of the Security Council," the senior U.S. diplomat told reporters.
Reform to revamp the world's most powerful multilateral body is going slowly. Arguing for reflection of a changed world order, India, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Egypt and Nigeria have been vying for a permanent seat at the Security Council since the early 1990s. The current five permanent seats are held by Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
"Given India's rise and its significance, we believe that India will be a central part of any consideration of a reformed Security Council," Burns said.
Ben Rhodes, White House Deputy National Security Advisor For Strategic Communications, said that the Security Council reform is a "very complicated issue that involves international architecture and many countries."
"We've actually upgraded the G-20 to the premier economic forum in the world, in part to give countries like India a greater voice, " Rhodes added.
Obama is scheduled to make a three-day trip to India on Nov. 6, and then travel on to Indonesia, South Korea and Japan.