The U.N. General Assembly has voted to reopen discussion about expanding the number of permanent members on the Security Council from five.
A resolution was passed Monday for the 62nd General Assembly, which formally begins work Tuesday to resume discussions, Deutsche Welle reported from New York.
The five permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, each of whom has veto power over security matters.
A number of countries, such as Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Nigeria and South Africa, have ambitions for a permanent seat on the council, which, in addition to the five permanent members, includes 10 members elected for a two-year term with the 10 seats rotating among the world's five regions.
In the last round of debate two years ago, regional differences made for little progress, as India was opposed by Pakistan, Japan was opposed by South Korea and China, Germany was opposed by Italy and Brazil was opposed by several Latin American countries, the report said.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
