Observing that the much-awaited reforms of the UN Security Council are finally beginning to take shape, India today hoped that there will be an "acceptable outcome" to the issue, probably by next year.
India's envoy to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri said steps taken by the member states will lead to "concrete action" in 2010 and could probably yield results in 2011.
"There are developments this year which have provided us with considerable hope and expectation that the much awaited reform is finally beginning to take shape," Puri said.
"I am not suggesting that 2010 will see the completion of the process. But 2010 will certainly be an important year. The negotiations on the chairman's text will hopefully result in an acceptable outcome perhaps in 2011 or soon thereafter. This is my assessment," Puri said.
His comments come in the wake of Zahir Tanin, chairperson of the Security Reforms process, asking member- states to submit proposals that can be worked into a "negotiating text", which will form basis for for future discussions.
India has been demanding the expansion of the Security Council and is one of the principal candidates for permanent membership. The member-states had last year finally abandoned the 'Open Ended Working Group' (OEWG) that had dragged on for fifteen years without yielding any substantive results.
The old talks were replaced by the new "inter-governmental negotiations" in 2009.
About 140 countries, including India, sent a letter to Tanin urging him to come up with the text to push the reform process forward.
"This letter which was sent by 140 countries in December 2009 set the pace for the issue of Security Council reform to acquire high priority for the member states," Puri said.
He noted that member-states had received a letter from the chair last week which indicated that the desire for reform is now universal.
"That I think will kick start the negotiating process on a firm footing," he said. Puri also noted that India supported the position of small island developing states getting a non-permanent seat.
