- Germany, Brazil, India and Japan have started circulating a draft resolution, calling for the UN Security Council to be expanded with six permanent seats. These seats shoul have veto powers and be given to those four countries and two additional African countries. Egypt, South Africa and Nigeria are competing for the two envisiaged African seats.
As part of the general reform process of the UN, set in motion by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a revision of the UN Security Council has been foreseen, to better reflect the power balance in the contemporary world. Today, for the first time, a draft resolution has been circulated regarding the new composition of the Security Council.
Germany, Brazil, India and Japan are the four countries widely believed to enter a widened UN Security Council. Further, the African Union (AU) has been strongly lobbying for two African countries to enter the revised powerful UN body, which decides over war and peace.
In the draft resolution of the so-called "Group of Four", an expansion of the Security Council from 15 to 25 seats is foreseen. Six of these new seat should be permanent, going to the Group of Four and two African countries yet to be defined.
According to press reports, the governments of India and Japan had been discussing for several weeks whether to include a call for veto rights in the draft. It ended with a compromise, saying the six new premanent powers "should" have the same "responsibilities and duties" as current permanent members, ie veto rights.
Although the six new proposed member states were not mentioned by name, it was clear that they should include the Group of Four and two African countries. The two loser states of the Second World War - Germany and Japan - have developed into the UN's third and second financial contributor states. India is the world's second most populous state and a giant economy, while Brazil - also a leading economy - would be the only Latin American country in the Council.
Regarding African member states, the question is more open. Nigeria is Africa's most populous state but remains economically and politically unstable. South Africa is sub-Saharan Africa's leading economy and democracy. Egypt is North Africa's leading economy and would become the only Muslim state with a permanent seat in the Council, seen as a necessity to establish a new political world order.
The tabling of such a draft resolution by these leading powers means a great push forward in Africa's quest to get two permament Security Council seats. According to the German UN Ambassador, some 120 countries have already expressed their support for the draft. The draft first needs to be approved by two thirds of the UN General Assembly - translating into 128 of a total of 191 member countries.
Later on, however, the draft also will have to pass by the current UN Security Council, where the US, Russia, China, the UK and France have veto rights. In practical terms, the Group of Four is already most concerned regarding this vote and has signalled its readiness to negotiate the wording of the draft resolution.
It is in particular the proposed veto right for new permanent members that is seen as controversial. Two veto powers have already expressed their scepticism. The US maintains it had hinted to the Group of Four it would favour an extension of the Council but go against new veto powers. China today said it would oppose the entire extension, in a move that was widely believed to be aimed against Japan obtaining veto powers.
Today's presentation of a draft resolution nevertheless has established Africa's aim of two permanent seats in the reformed UN Security Council. Mr Annan in March said he expected the reforms of the Council to be discussed at a summit in New York in September this year.
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