India and Japan to hold consultations on UN issues; India wants greater say in deciding UN peacekeeping mandates; Mandate of UN force in Abyei extended; UNSC called on regional actors to cooperate on Central African Republic
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    • According to reports, during his visit to Japan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Japanese counterpart joined hands to work together in multilateral for a for early reforms of the UNSC in both the permanent and non-permanent categories. They also decided to hold the first India-Japan Consultation on UN issues, including UNSC reform. They agreed to take an active part in the intergovernmental negotiations in the UN General Assembly to achieve meaningful progress. They further recognised the need to finalise and adopt the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN. 1

    In another development, reports noted that India is concerned about the lack of its involvement in deciding the mandates of UN peacekeeping mission despite its contribution to the operations. New Delhi has called upon the UN Security Council to evolve a mechanism to ensure greater say of the troop contributing countries in deciding the mandate of such missions. 2

    According to reports, the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force for Abyei was extended until November 30, 2013 by the UN Security Council. The Council also increased the authorised number of troops there by more than 1,100 personnel. The troop boost will provide additional resources “to support fully” the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism. 3

    In other developments, the UN Security Council called on regional actors to cooperate on all fronts to tackle the dual crises in the Central African Republic. Following a power grab by rebels in the country, all operations to neutralise the Lord’s Resistance Army has been stalled. The Council also expressed concern about the ensuing violence and looting in the wake of the takeover by the Seleka rebels. 4

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