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      NEW DELHI (AP) - President Barack Obama on Monday backed India
for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, a dramatic
diplomatic gesture to his hosts at the end of his first visit to
this booming nation.


      Obama made the announcement in a speech to India's parliament on
the third and final day of his stay. In doing so, he fulfilled what
was perhaps India's dearest wish for Obama's trip here. India has
sought permanent Security Council membership for years.


      "The just and sustainable international order that America
seeks includes a United Nations that is efficient, effective,
credible and legitimate," Obama said. "That is why I can say
today - in the years ahead, I look forward to a reformed U.N.
Security Council that includes India as a permanent member."


      The announcement brought the loudest applause of Obama's speech.
But it does not mean that India will join the five permanent
Security Council members anytime soon. The U.S. is backing India's
membership only in the context of unspecified reforms to the
council that could take years to bring about.


      That makes Obama's announcement more of a diplomatic gesture
than a concrete step. Nonetheless, it underscores the importance
the U.S. places on fostering ties with this nation of 1.2 billion
people, something Obama has been seeking to accomplish throughout
his time here.


      Obama said repeatedly throughout his three days in India - first
in the financial center of Mumbai and then in the capital of New
Delhi - that he views the relationship between the two countries as
one of the "defining partnerships" of the 21st century. He set
out to prove it by making India the first stop on a four-country
tour of Asia, and then through economic announcements, cultural
outreach and finally the announcement about the U.N. Security
Council.


      India has sought permanent council membership as recognition of
its surging economic clout and its increased stature in world
affairs. The U.S. endorsement is certain to deepen the ties between
the two countries and could also send Obama's popularity in India
skyrocketing to a level comparable to that enjoyed by George W.
Bush. The former president is seen as a hero here for helping end
India's nuclear isolation.


      In another important gesture, Obama went farther than he had
previously during his stay in addressing the terror threat inside
Pakistan, India's neighbor and archrival. Obama angered some here
when he visited a memorial to victims of the 2008 Mumbai terror
attacks but didn't mention Pakistan, which was home to the
attackers.

      "We will continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that
terrorist safe-havens within their borders are unacceptable, and
that the terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks be brought to
justice," the president said in the address, to loud applause.
"We must also recognize that all of us have an interest in both an
Afghanistan and a Pakistan that is stable, prosperous and
democratic - and none more so than India."


      Indian officials accuse Pakistan's intelligence service of
helping orchestrate the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people
and say the country has not done enough to crack down on the
Pakistan-based extremists held responsible. Pakistan, meanwhile,
views India's ties with the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan
as an effort by its old rival to encircle it.


      The president's announcement on the Security Council brought
immediate praise from Indian politicians and diplomats.


      "I think, maybe, he has gone and scored one better than Bush,"
said M.K. Rasgotra, a former Indian foreign secretary. "A great
paean to democracy and his belief in India's promise and offering
to stand shoulder to shoulder to India in its advance and progress.
This is a great moment in Indo-US relations."


      The five permanent members of the Security Council are the U.S.,
China, France, the United Kingdom and Russia. The only other
country the U.S. has endorsed for permanent membership is Japan.


      Debate has raged for years over how to change a structure that
is widely seen as outdated and it is unlikely to be resolved
anytime soon. So it's unclear when India's drive for permanent
membership will ever be realized. But backing it at all is a
critically important move from India's perspective.


      Pakistan criticized the move, accusing India of "flagrant
violations" of U.N. resolutions and calling on the U.S. to "take
a moral view and not base itself on any temporary expediency or
exigencies of power politics."


      Obama coupled the security council endorsement with a gentle
admonition to India to step up to its responsibilities on the world
stage. He said it's important for all countries to stand up for
human rights and to condemn oppression even when it's happening far
away. Obama said India had at times "shied away" from
demonstrating that kind of leadership.


      Throughout his time here, Obama has taken pains to cast his
visit as a search for U.S. jobs and benefits to people back home,
sensitive to the priorities of U.S. voters who punished the
Democratic Party in last week's midterm elections, in part over
high unemployment. He touched on the theme again Monday.


      "As global partners we can promote prosperity in both our
countries," Obama said. "Together, we can create the high-tech,
high-wage jobs of the future."


      Earlier Monday, Obama held a joint news conference with India's
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the two leaders affirmed their
desire to work together on various fronts. Questioned about
Pakistan, Obama answered carefully, encouraging India and Pakistan
to move toward peace and saying the U.S. was "happy to play any
role the parties think is appropriate" but couldn't "impose a
solution."


      Singh said that while he believes a strong, moderate Pakistan is
in the interest of India and the wider region, India can't engage
in talks as long as Pakistan's "terror machine is as active as
ever before." However, he didn't directly answer a reporter's
question about whether the U.S. should call Pakistan a terrorist
state.


      Obama's final day in India began with a grand welcome ceremony
at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the palatial residence of India's president.
After that, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama placed a wreath at
Raj Ghat, a memorial to Mohandas K. Gandhi.


      Obama departs early Tuesday for Indonesia, the country where he
spent four years as a boy. From there, he heads to South Korea for
a meeting of the Group of 20 developed and developing nations, and
then to Japan for a gathering of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum. He returns to Washington on Nov. 14.

      Associated Press writers Ben Feller, Ravi Nessman and Ashok
Sharma contributed to this report.
      

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