Global Policy Forum

Brazil, India and Germany have submitted a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly calling for the expansion of the Security Council, but this time they failed to win the sponsoring of Japan.

The draft, made available to the press on Friday, is the same as the one tabled by the so-called Group of Four, composed of Brazil, India, Germany and Japan, last summer. It proposes enlarging the Security Council membership from 15 to 25 by adding six permanent members and four non-permanent members.

The Security Council, the only UN organ whose decisions are legally binding on all governments, presently consists of five veto-holding permanent members and 10 elected members with two-year terms.

In an explanatory note attached to the draft, Brazil, India and Germany said the objective of re-tabling the G-4 resolution on Thursday is "to instill positive dynamics into the process of Security Council reform."

The three countries will maintain the cooperative framework of the G-4 with Japan and are open to possible amendments to the draft, the note said, adding that they do not aim at a vote on the resolution in the immediate future.

Media reports quoted Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe as saying on Friday that Japan decided against sponsoring the fresh bid by Brazil, India and Germany because it is impossible for them to win sufficient support.

There have been speculations that Tokyo is drawing up a draft resolution on the Security Council expansion which would be acceptable to the United States, a strong opponent to the G-4 proposal.

The Group of Four, the African Union and a group of countries opposed to an increase of permanent council members introduced rival measures to the General Assembly last summer on the Security Council reform. But none of them was put to a vote because of lack of support.

In late December Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Senegal re-submitted the proposal of the African Union to the assembly in the name of the four countries. They have not yet requested the 191-nation body to take action on the draft.

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