Describing India as an emerging "global power", British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has strongly supported New Delhi's claim for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council and even mooted the idea that "interim options" must be examined to achieve the goal."Long term but now also interim options must be examined to reform a UN Security Council (UNSC) – whose permanent members do not include Japan, India, Brazil, Germany, or any African country - to make the Council more representative, more credible and more effective," Brown said unveiling Britain's foreign policy priorities in his first address as Prime Minister at the Lord Mayor's Banquet.Referring to the long-pending UNSC reform to reflect the reality of the 21st century, Brown said "my approach was hard headed because I am conscious of weaknesses in international institutions that need to be addressed."He said "global flows of capital and global sourcing of goods and services have brought the biggest shift of economic power since the industrial revolution - the rapid emergence of India and China as global powers with legitimate global aspirations. The new frontier is that there is no frontier."In regard to the contemporary developments in Pakistan, Brown endorsed the Commonwealth's ultimatum to President Pervez Musharraf to lift emergency by November 22."And today and together we call on President Musharraf to restore the constitution and implement the necessary conditions to guarantee free and fair elections on schedule in January; release all political prisoners, including members of the judiciary and human rights activists; to pursue energetically reconciliation with the political opposition; honour his commitment to step down as Chief of Army Staff; and relax restrictions on the media," Brown said.Noting that the existing international institutions built for just 50 sheltered economies in what became a bipolar world are not fit for purpose in an independent world of 200 states where global flows of commerce, people and ideas defy borders, British Prime Minister Brown suggested renewal of the international institutions to keep pace with the changing times."To build not just security but environmental stewardship and prosperity free of global poverty, I want a G-8 for the 21st century, a UN for the 21st century, and an IMF and World Bank fit for the 21st century.""The G-8 has to increasingly broaden to encompass the influential emerging economies now outside but that account for more than a third of the world's economic output."Speaking on Britain's unique place in the new world, Brown said "My approach is hard-headed internationalism - internationalist because global challenges need global solutions and nations must cooperate across borders – often with hard-headed intervention - to give expression to our shared interests and shared values; - hard-headed because we will not shirk from the difficult long-term decisions and because only through reform of our international rules and institutions will we achieve concrete, on-the-ground results."Noting that global terrorist networks demand a global response, Brown said "if there are to be no safe havens for terrorists, and no hiding places for those financing and harbouring terrorism, we should work for a concerted global strengthening of law enforcement, financial supervision and policing and intelligence cooperation."He said, "The spread of terrorism has destroyed the old assumption that states alone could access destructive weapons."Noting that the existing international institutions built for just 50 sheltered economies in what became a bipolar world are not fit for purpose in an independent world of 200 states where global flows of commerce, people and ideas defy borders, British Prime Minister Brown suggested renewal of the international institutions to keep pace with the changing times."To build not just security but environmental stewardship and prosperity free of global poverty, I want a G-8 for the 21st century, a UN for the 21st century, and an IMF and World Bank fit for the 21st century.""The G-8 has to increasingly broaden to encompass the influential emerging economies now outside but that account for more than a third of the world's economic output."Speaking on Britain's unique place in the new world, Brown said "My approach is hard-headed internationalism - internationalist because global challenges need global solutions and nations must cooperate across borders – often with hard-headed intervention - to give expression to our shared interests and shared values; - hard-headed because we will not shirk from the difficult long-term decisions and because only through reform of our international rules and institutions will we achieve concrete, on-the-ground results."Noting that global terrorist networks demand a global response, Brown said "if there are to be no safe havens for terrorists, and no hiding places for those financing and harbouring terrorism, we should work for a concerted global strengthening of law enforcement, financial supervision and policing and intelligence cooperation."He said, "The spread of terrorism has destroyed the old assumption that states alone could access destructive weapons."
