New Delhi, April 26, 2005 (AFP)

India, the world's largest democracy, will press its case for a permanent UN Security Council seat in top-level talks during a visit by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, officials said Tuesday.

India is among the main aspirants for a permanent seat, saying it deserves one in light of its billion-plus population and growing economic clout.

Annan, who arrived in New Delhi late Monday, plunges into a whirlwind of meetings Wednesday with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and other dignitaries.

Underscoring the warmth of India's welcome, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh turned up at the airport personally to greet Annan, a move foreign office officials said broke with protocol.

"Usually the junior foreign minister or senior officials would welcome the secretary general," an official said.

Annan, who met UN employees in New Delhi Tuesday, set the agenda for his four-day visit on his arrival, saying he hoped to discuss his far-reaching plans to reform the 191-member UN with Indian leaders. They include Security Council expansion, a timetable for aid increases and debt forgiveness.

India, Brazil, Germany and Japan have launched a joint bid to win coveted permanent seats, whose veto-wielding privilege dates from World War II.

New Delhi would discuss the "proposals unveiled for the reform of the United Nations," an Indian official said.

"Our foreign minister met the UN secretary general last week on the sidelines of the Asia-Africa foreign ministers' meeting and pointed out to him the present UN setup mirrors the realities of 1945 and not of 2005," he said.

India, a regular participant in UN peacekeeping operations, says it has backing of Britain, Russia, France and China for its quest for a permanent council berth while the United States is non-committal.

Some council permanent members are resisting efforts to expand the body while others disagree on which new countries should be allowed on board.

Earlier this month, Annan said UN member states should be ready to push through plans to expand the Security Council at a New York September summit even if they do not gain unanimous support.

"If a consensus appears not to be possible, it shouldn't be an excuse for inaction," Annan said. "Security Council reform has been on the agenda of the organisation for over a decade and the time has come for us to take some hard decisions."

C. Uday Bhaskar, interim head of the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses, a government-supported thinktank, called Annan's statements "music to India's ears."

"But we have to remember the secretary general can only make these suggestions. It's up to members to see how they want to proceed."