India to focus on terror, UNSC reforms, Syria at UNGA

Terrorism, UNSC reforms, piracy, peacekeeping and Syria will be among the focus areas of India when External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will participate in the UN General Assembly in New York on October 1.

Krishna, who is leaving on September 25 for the US, will make a speech at 'high-level meeting' at the UN on October 1, apart from holding a bilateral meeting with his American counterpart Hillary Clinton, official sources said.

Officials said terrorism, piracy, UNSC reforms, including working methods of the global body, peacekeeping, universal disarmament and other world issues like Syria and Sudan are among the issues on which India will be focusing during its interaction with the international community.

Noting that India being Chair of Counter-terrorism Committee of the UNSC, it has been pushing for zero-tolerance for terror, the officials said in this capacity the country will focus on special meeting on terrorist financing in November.

During his nine-day stay in the US, the minister will also participate in several other meetings, including India-GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council), G-4 (Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan) and with Commonwealth representatives, the officials said, adding that efforts were on to set up more bilateral meetings during Krishna's visit.

Krishna will also travel to Brown University and will visit Milwaukee on October 4 where he will meet families of gurudwara attack victims.