New York: India's bid for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has received strong support from Veto members. After the United Kingdom, France reiterated its support to India, Germany, Japan and Brazil for the creation of new permanent seats.

Addressing the UNSC's annual debate on Security Council reform on Friday, France's Deputy Representative to the UN, Nathalie Broadhurst Estival said, "France endorses the candidacy of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan as permanent members for permanent seats."

"We also want greater representation from African countries including as permanent members of the council as many seats should be distributed to ensure geographical representation," she added.

In the UNSC, Ambassador Estival stated that the issue of the veto is highly sensitive. She stressed that it is up to the States requesting a permanent seat to decide on the matter.

She further explained that the objective must remain twofold: to consolidate the Council's legitimacy and to strengthen its capacity to fully assume its responsibilities in the maintenance of international peace and security.

It is in this spirit that France proposed that the five permanent Council members voluntarily and collectively suspend the use of the veto in cases of mass atrocities. With regard to the Council's working methods, she reaffirmed the organ's competence to define them and to emphasize the commitment of the Council's members to greater transparency, openness and efficiency.

Earlier, the UK also extended its support to India for permanent membership of the UNSC. UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said, "We support the creation of new permanent seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, as well as permanent African representation on the Council."

Woodward stated that the UK also supports an expansion of the non-permanent category of membership, taking the Security Council's total membership to somewhere in mid-20s.

The General Assembly opened its annual debate with speakers renewing their appeals for enlarging the 15-member organ and updating its working methods to make it more transparent, inclusive, representative, accountable and effective in a world gripped by a cascade of interlocking crises.