Keite Camacho
Reporter - Agência Brasil

New York - The group formed by Brazil, India, Japan, and Germany (G-4) is expected to draft a new project for reforming the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

The Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, is optimistic about the group's proposal and believes that the reform of the UN Security Council should be voted by the end of the year. "But there are no deadlines," he recalled.

The decision to rewrite the proposal was presented yesterday (15) during a meeting of foreign ministers of the group's member countries at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, in New York.

The G-4's initial proposal did not come up for a vote at the 59th Session of the UN General Assembly, which ended yesterday (15). Consequently, it will be revised and presented at the 60th Session, which begins tomorrow (17). The proposal expands the number of permanent and temporary members of the Council from 15 to 25. And it suggests that a representative of the Americas, a representative of Europe, two representatives of Asia, and two representatives of Africa be included among the new permanent members.

The new G-4 resolution should not contain many modifications, according to Amorim, but it should incorporate suggestions received over the course of the year.

According to the minister, there is growing support for the theses of the G-4. "Our dialogue with the African countries is positive. It hasn't yet resulted in the desired outcome, but we shall continue this dialogue with the Africans and others. I believe that we will be able to obtain a sufficient support base to present the resolution again and get it passed," he affirmed.

For the reform to be approved, it needs the support of two thirds of the countries in the UN General Assembly, that is, 128 votes.

Translation: David Silberstein