By Evelyn Leopold
9 minutes ago
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday firmly rejected a resolution by Brazil, Germany, Japan and India to expand the 15-member U.N. Security Council by 10 seats and warned the U.S. Senate could veto the measure.
"We will work with you to achieve enlargement of the Security Council, but only in the right way and at the right time," said Tahir-Kheli, adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "We urge you, therefore, to oppose this resolution and, should it come to a vote, to vote against it."
Brazil, Germany, Japan and India have introduced a resolution to add six permanent seats to the council, four for themselves and two for Africa, and four nonpermanent seats.
After a dozen years of discussion, the debate on the resolution is the first radical step to increase council membership, which all agree still reflects the balance of power in 1945. But the contentious General Assembly debate, which began on Monday, indicated a majority, but not necessarily the required two-thirds of the 191-member General Assembly, favored the resolution.
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