Nations Divided Over U.N. Security Council
By BETH GARDINER
The Associated Press
Monday, July 25, 2005; 11:39 PM
LONDON -- Brazil, Germany, India and Japan failed to agree with African nations Monday on how to expand the U.N. Security Council, the organization's most powerful body responsible for international security.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji, whose country heads the 53-nation African Union, had said the Monday meeting could be one of the last chances to reach a compromise that could be quickly put to a vote in the General Assembly.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he wants a decision on the broadening of the council before September.
But Brazil, Germany, India and Japan disagree with African nations over how many members should be added to the council. Unlike the African countries, they do not want new members to have veto powers.
The council's current 15 members include 10 elected for two-year terms, representing different regions, and five permanent members with veto powers _ Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
We have both come to the conclusion that unless we work together in producing a draft resolution, the reform of the United Nations will not go forward, Adeniji said Monday.
There is widespread support for enlarging the council to better reflect the world as it is today, rather than the balance of global power that resulted from World War II, when the United Nations was formed. All previous expansion attempts have failed because of national and regional rivalries.
The Group of Four countries have introduced a resolution to expand the council to 25 members, adding six permanent members without veto power and four non-permanent members. The African Union has proposed expanding the Council to 26, adding six permanent members with veto power, and five non-permanent members.
African countries have argued that the time has come to give voice to the developing world and end what they consider a historic injustice that has left the continent without a permanent seat.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said the Group of Four might agree to a 26-seat council that would rotate among developing nations.
This could lead to an agreement, he said.
Any resolution requires approval from two-thirds of the 191 U.N. states.