|
Japan¡¯s chances of securing a permanent seat on the UN Security Council are improving, the Foreign Ministry warned Monday.
A high-ranking ministry official said there was an increasing possibility that a resolution for Security Council reform submitted by the so-called G4 states last week will pass. The G4 groups Japan, Germany, Brazil and India, all of which aspire to a permanent seat on the council. Their reform plan, submitted on July 6, would boost Security Council membership from 15 to 25 and add six new permanent members.
 |
|
The leaders of the so-called Group of Four (G4) -- nations calling for the expansion of the UN Security Council -- pose for a group photo at the G8 summit venue in Gleneagles, Scotland on Thursday. (From left) Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder./AP
|
 |
|
The G4 states want the UN General Assembly to vote on the resolution around July 20. They will need the support of two-thirds of member states, or 128 out of 191. While the resolution would not be legally binding, it would generate considerable waves. ¡°If the resolution passes, it would set the general climate for the reform plan to be promoted," the official said.
The G4 nations are aggressively promoting their plan with a combined total of US$16 billion in Official Development Assistance in the background. The key target is Africa, whose 53 UN member states account for about one-third of the total.
The group held concentrated discussion with African states at the African Union summit in Libya last week. A Korean official said, "Africa has its own independent plan, but in fact it doesn't differ much from the G4 plan. If the African nations are brought on board, the G4 resolution will pass easily."
Korea and some 20 nations including Pakistan, Italy and Argentina, are against the proposal - in Korea¡¯s case mainly to stop former colonial power Japan from getting a permanent seat. They too have been focusing their efforts to get it voted down on Africa, but a Korean official said their attempts have not been enough.
"If the UN Security Council is reorganized as the G4 plan envisages, mid-ranking powers like Korea will have no leg to stand on in the international community,¡± the official said. ¡°And if Japan becomes a permanent member of the Security Council, it would have a huge influence on our national interests in international situations."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
