Drop veto demand for now: UK to India

New Delhi: Supporting India's bid for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council, Britain said India should give up its demand for veto power "for the time being".

According to the British High Commissioner to India, Sir Michael Arthur, India does not have a realistic approach to the Veto power issue.

''New Delhi should drop its demand for Veto power for the time being and adopt a more pragmatic attitude,'' he said.

He hinted that certain legislations are in the offing to deal with terrorism in wake of the July 7 blasts in London.

Britain is also planning to ban certain terrorist outfits based in Islamabad, he said.

Sir Arthur said that Britain was willing to lift the travel advisory for its nationals to travel to Kashmir as the situation in the State had improved in the last two years.

He said his country was satisfied with the progress made on the Kashmir issue. ''People-to-people contact as well as trade relations between India and Pakistan are on a high,'' he said.

The ground situation in Kashmir has also improved and this is the reason we are lifting the travel advisory,'' he added.

He talked about a host of issues including bilateral relations and terrorism.

Referring to the British Defence Secretary John Reid?s comment that Kashmir, Taiwan and North Korea are Asia's trouble zones and can lead to nuclear confrontation, Sir Arthur replied there are certain states in Asia that possess nuclear weapons overtly and covertly.

''India and Pakistan ties are fraught with tension due to the Kashmir issue. Until a resolution is found, the possibility of a conflict will exist,'' he said.

He added that the UN is an important international organisation and a proposal to bring about certain reforms within the organisation should be seen as a healthy step.

Sir Arthur further said that India's bid for a permanent seat was part of the comprehensive reforms supported by Britain.

India and Britain, along with other countries, have been facing the threat of global terrorism, and urged the international community to come together to fight this menace.