Burns: US should back India as permanent member of SC

WASHINGTON: The United States should support India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, former Bush Administration's point man for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal said.

"India should be a permanent member of the Security Council. The US should support it," former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said in his opening remarks at a discussion on Indo-US relations here.

This is for the first time, someone as influential as Burns has come out in support of India getting a place in the Security Council as a permanent member.

So far the US has only endorsed the case of Japan as permanent member of the UNSC. Burns in his speech also supported Brazil for the same.