July 22, 2005
THE WORLD
Mexico, Canada Introduce Third Plan to Expand Security Council
The move will probably delay a vote on adding members. The U.S. says it opposes any change.
By Maggie Farley, Times Staff Writer
UNITED NATIONS — Wrangling over an anticipated vote to enlarge the 15-member U.N. Security Council erupted into a four-way showdown Thursday, with Mexico and Canada proposing a new, third plan and the United States pledging to block any change at all. The move by the so-called United for Consensus group just days before a month-end vote on expanding the council to at least 25 members makes it unlikely that the vote will happen in July, if at all before a U.N. summit of world leaders in September.
The latest proposal comes from a group made up of Mexico, Canada, Italy, Pakistan and nine other countries. Its proposal to add 10 two-year nonpermanent seats to the council directly challenges resolutions by the African Union, as well as by the so-called Group of 4 — Japan, India, Germany and Brazil, which seek permanent seats on the council.
The Group of 4 seeks to expand the council to 25 seats, including six permanent seats without a veto. The African Union has a competing proposal for 26 seats, including seven permanent seats with a veto. The groups, along with Secretary-General Kofi Annan, want the Security Council expansion to be part of the wide-ranging reform package that world leaders are expected to sign on to in September.
But the U.S. said it would reject any change right now, including its own proposal for adding "two or so" permanent seats, because the issue was too divisive and attention should be focused on other U.N. reforms first.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-unreform22jul22,0,4040573.story?coll=la-home-world(Free registration required)
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