G4 Security Council Bid Facing Opposition

A bid by Germany, Brazil, India and Japan to join an overhauled UN Security Council faces spirited opposition from regional rivals as the General Assembly prepares for
a debate on the four countries' proposal to enlarge the exclusive UN club this week. UN diplomats doubt that the so-called G4 would be able to muster the required two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly, meaning 128 votes out of 191, to change the make-up of the 15-member council. At present, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are the only permanent and veto-wielding members of the powerful UN body, which also has 10 rotating non-permanent members without veto power. Countries such as Pakistan and China urged the G4 countries to drop their plan to seek a vote on their proposal for an expanded security council, suggesting it would divide the world body. The General Assembly debate on the G4 text will begin Monday at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) and might run until Tuesday depending on the number of speakers, according to assembly sources. The G4 draft provides for an expansion of the UN Security Council from the current 15 members to 25, with the creation of six new permanent seats without veto power and four non-permanent
seats.