Washington: As India takes its seat on the UN Security Council today after 19 long years as a non-permanent member, its top UN diplomat, Hardeep Singh Puri, is hopeful that New Delhi will gain a permanent place on the global high table by next year as he expected "Security Council reform" to take place by the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012.

"We are ready now to test the waters on a more enduring membership on the Security Council," Puri said.

Based on the pace of negotiations so far, "I am reasonably optimistic that by the end of 2011/ beginning of 2012 we will have Security Council reform", Puri, India's permanent representative to the UN, told IANS in a telephone interview from New York.

Dismissing suggestions by a US official that UN reform, to which India's permanent membership is linked, is a long way off, he said: "All I can tell is that we were thrilled by President [Barack] Obama's ringing endorsement of India's bid for permanent membership."

Negotiating text

"Secondly, the 30-page-long negotiating text which has been in the making for almost a year is likely to be reduced as a result of the inter-governmental negotiating process to a two or three page text," he said.

"And then we are looking at the final stages of negotiations for an outcome of reform. I think we are looking at a very high probability, likelihood of a reform by the end of the year," Puri said expecting the talks to begin by February.

The envoy also took exception to reports that India will be on watch during its two-year term as an elected member as it tries to prove to the major powers that India can be a reliable permanent partner on the council and has the capacity to take up the associated responsibilities.

"India is the world's largest democracy. It's a country of 1.1 billion people. It has a sui generis experience in nation building," Puri said.

"So anyone suggesting that we will be under probation or there is some watch list ... I don't want to comment on that."

"The facts will speak for themselves. So wait till we begin work on the council," he said.

Asked about India's role and priorities in the Security Council, Puri said: "We would like to strengthen the Security Council to make it more effective and efficient. Clearly in the first instance, we have to participate in the present agenda of the Security Council, 75 per cent of which deals with African issues."

"Then we are also extremely interested in utilising the Security Council to pursue issues of interest to India," he said.

Citing terrorism as an example, Puri noted that a UN committee deals with terrorism, another deals with listing of entities like Al Qaida and Taliban and issues relating to peacekeeping. "All these we propose to pursue."