China, US to jointly oppose UN expansion (Reuters) Updated: 2005-08-05 06:49
Brazil, Germany, India and Japan have banded together in a "Group of Four,"
to lobby for an expansion plan that would give all four of them permanent seats
on an expanded council.
To win the necessary two-thirds vote in the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly,
they would need substantial support from other regions including Africa. African
Union leaders were meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Thursday in search of a
possible compromise with the four countries that could lead to approval.
"Definitely both sides see that the process now being pushed by the G4 is
damaging the prospects for U.N. reform," Wang said. "So therefore both agreed in
parallel with our joint efforts to stop it."
Asked if that meant a coordinated campaign with Washington, Wang responded,
"coordinated efforts, yes."
The Security Council has five permanent members -- Britain, France and Russia
as well as the United States and China. The other 10 members are elected for
two-year terms.
Enlargement of the 15-member council, whose membership reflects the balance
of power at the end of World War II, is currently the most contentious issue at
the United Nations.
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