India-Africa Summit: Renewed engagement for UN reforms; UN Security Council stresses elections for Somalia; UNSC welcomes arrest of fugitives responsible for crimes in Balkans and Rwanda
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    • The Africa – India Summit declaration signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Africa dealt with UN reforms among other issues. This renewed engagement could be an accelerated process of reforms at the UN. The Summit resolutions included Africa taking note of India’s position and aspirations to become “a permanent member with full rights” in an expanded UN Security Council.[FN]“Africa to back Indian push for U.N. reform in September”, The Hindu, May 24, 2011 at http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/24/stories/2011052465071200.htm[/FN] The Summit also emphasized the need for countries to ‘exert utmost effort on UN Security Council reform during the current session of the UN General Assembly’.1 Addressing a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that the international community should continue with efforts to restore stability in Somalia. He also made a strong pitch to the UN to take the lead in evolving a comprehensive response to the threat of international piracy to ensure unhindered maritime trade.2

    In other developments, the Security Council stressed that a planned consultative meeting of Somalia’s leadership should result in agreement on a schedule for elections in the country. It warned the Somali leaders that they would risk losing financial assistance if they fail to agree on how to conduct these elections.3 The UNSC members also expressed their full support for the work of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and paid tribute to Ugandan and Burundian troops for their efforts to improve security for Somalis in Mogadishu. The Council also stressed the need to strengthen the Somali security forces and called for a comprehensive and collaborative campaign against maritime piracy off the Somalian coast.4

    Meanwhile, the Security Council welcomed the arrest of two fugitives wanted by the UN tribunals set up to try those responsible for the worst crimes committed during the Balkans conflict of the 1990s and the Rwanda genocide of 1994. The Security Council congratulated the Serbian and the DRC authorities for these arrests.5

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