G4 ministers to talk UN seat

The G4 meeting comes days after Washington said an expanded Security Council could hamper its effectiveness. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will be in Brussels on Wednesday, may meet the G4 foreign ministers.

Officials say the G4 meeting is an affirmation that, contrary to perception in other countries, the G4 countries plan to stick together. Singh will hold day-long discussions with his counterpart from Germany Joschka Fischer, Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura and Celso Amorim, the Foreign Minister of Brazil.

In its new resolution, the G4 has proposed increasing the seats from 15 to 25, with six new permanent seats. The draft keeps the veto intact, but stipulates that they should not exercise it until the question of its extension has been decided by a review conference, after 15 years.

We hope to learn from Europe: Natwar

In Italy, Natwar Singh, addressing the Italian Chamber of Deputies (Senate) this evening on, ‘Europe-India: collaboration in the era of globalisation,’ said: “The European Union is moving forward in forging a Common Foreign and Security Policy. This has implications for India’s foreign policy. We hope to draw upon the European perspective on major international issues.”