'India wants peaceful settlement of disputes, multilateralism'

India has said it strongly believes in peaceful settlement of disputes according to international law, even as it stressed that the UN represents a global recognition that only cooperative and effective multilateralism can ensure peace and prosperity.
India believes that countries are obliged to settle their disputes by peaceful means, which is one of the fundamental principles under paragraph 3 of Article 2 of the UN Charter, said Yedla Umasankar, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.
"The United Nations represents our collective recognition that only cooperative and effective multilateralism can ensure peace and prosperity in the context of the range of interconnected challenges that we face in our interdependent world," he said.

"India strongly believes in multilateralism and peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with international law," Umasankar said in his address to the meeting of the Special Committee on the Charter of the UN and on the Strengthening of the Role of the Organisation.
Article 33 of the UN Charter further strengthens this duty and provides the means which the parties to a dispute can choose freely.
The International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the UN plays an important role in the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In this regard, India supports in principle, the joint revised proposal of the Russia and Belarus for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the use of force by a state or a group of states without the express authorisation of the Security Council under Chapter VII of the charter when not in the exercise of the inherent right of self-defence.

"This may help to clarify the legal principles governing the right to and situations for the use of force under the UN Charter," Umasankar said.
Referring to the sanctions imposed by the Security Council on certain countries, the Indian diplomat said this should be used only as a measure of last resort and not as a punitive measure.
Noting that the Security Council is now increasingly issuing targeted sanctions against individuals and entities, India said according to the Secretary-General's report, due to the shift from comprehensive and general sanctions to targeted sanctions, the incidence of unintended harm to third countries or their citizens, has significantly reduced.

"It is an important development," he said.