U.S. Rejects Joint Bid at UN by Brazil, Germany, India, Japan 
July 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. said giving Brazil, Germany, India and Japan permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council would damage the world body's principal policy-making panel, and that the Senate would be unlikely to approve the change. 
Shirin Tahir-Kheli, a senior adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on UN reform, addressed the General Assembly today on the second day of debate over their resolution to expand the 15-member council to 25 seats. Envoys for Brazil, Germany, India and Japan said they might call for a vote as early as this week. 
``I ask all countries to very carefully consider the resolution before us and to ask the critical question: Does this resolution serve to strengthen the United Nations?'' Tahir-Kheli said. ``We believe it does not. We urge you, therefore, to oppose this resolution.'' 
Tahir-Kheli reminded the General Assembly that the U.S. Senate would have to ratify any change in the UN Charter expanding the Security Council. She said a vote now on the proposal by the group of American allies, which calls itself the G-4, to ``lock in a particular mode of Security Council expansion at this stage would interfere with our ability to shape a proposal later that would stand a reasonable chance'' of Senate ratification. 
The U.S. statement added to opposition to the G-4 proposal that grew last week as the African Union and a coalition led by Italy, Mexico, Spain and Pakistan known as Uniting for Consensus circulated their own texts. Algerian, Argentine and Pakistani envoys said the G-4 didn't have the necessary votes in the General Assembly for adoption of their measure. 
Japan Supported 
The U.S. last month called for the addition of ``two or so'' new permanent members, including Japan, and ``two or three'' new non-permanent seats. Bush adminstration officials have said expansion of the Security Council should follow action on other proposed changes in the UN such as improved management oversight and replacement of the Human Rights Commission with a council of nations with strong rights records. 
Two-thirds of the General Assembly, consisting of all 191 UN member governments, must approve any resolution expanding the council, and any new members. Then the Security Council must vote to amend the UN Charter to allow the changes to take place, and any of the current five permanent council members, including China and the U.S., could veto that. 
China and Russia, another permanent Security Council member, oppose the G-4 resolution. France and the U.K., the other two permanent members, support it. 
The Security Council, consisting of five permanent members with a veto, and 10 who are elected to two-year terms, hasn't been expanded in four decades. 
The G-4 seeks to add six permanent members, who would not have veto power, and four non-permanent seats. 
African Proposal 
The African Union is seeking expansion to 26 council seats, including six new permanent seats that, unlike the G-4 proposal, would have veto power. Africa would get two new permanent and two new elected seats. 
The Uniting for Consensus draft resolution calls for the addition of 10 non-permanent seats and no new permanent seats. 
While Tahir-Kheli said the U.S. believes a ``broad consensus'' exists on enlarging the Security Council expansion, the details of that revision were in dispute. 
``Efficiency is essential,'' Tahir-Kheli said. ``The Security Council has been an effective body, and is more relevant today than ever. One of the first principles of reform should be to do no harm.''