India against unauthorised internal intervention

In the backdrop of Western countries’ insistence of more active intercession in Syria, India reiterated on Monday saying that it was against ‘unauthorised intervention’ in the internal affairs of a state in the throes of a conflict.

This was asserted by India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri, at a high-level meeting on “Rule of Law” at the UN General Assembly.

“We strongly believe in the peaceful handling of any conflict situation in accordance with the applicable legal principles by avoiding any unauthorised intervention in a State’s internal affairs,” he said at the meeting.

Puri also said that India recognised the role of the International Law Commission and International Court of Justice in codifying and adjudicating law in the international arena.

The senior Indian diplomat added that India also strongly condemns acts of terrorism irrespective of their source.

“We stress for collective action in fight against terrorism. We consider it important for the member states to effectively implement the international legal instruments to which they are a party,” he said.

While Puri did not mention Syria by name, the remarks need to be read in the context of the prevailing situation in the strategic mid-eastern country which has cast a big shadow, as heads of states and leaders gathered for the start of the General Assembly’s annual jamboree.

“Peaceful settlement of disputes is the key factor in the maintenance of international peace and security and in the promotion of the rule of law,” added Puri.

At the UN Security Council, there has been a stalemate on Syria since June between the US and Europe on one side and Russia and China on the other, after the latter duo used the veto for the third time to defeat a resolution against Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria.

India had abstained at the last successful resolution in August in UNGA, shepherded by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as it felt that the United Nations did not have a sufficient role in the resolution.

Officials point out that India’s view on Syria is coloured by its experience from the 1973 resolution passed by UNSC last year when under the mandate to implement the no-fly zone “by all means”, the West virtually led an intervention in Libya which led to the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi.

This led to several developing countries on the Security Council being justifiably wary that any potential resolution steered by the West and Arab league on Syria could be a vehicle for the regime change.