Santa Cruz de la Sierra, November 17, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, recalled that a growing number of countries agrees with the idea of reforming the United Nations Security Council, in which Brazil will once again occupy a temporary seat, from January, 2004, through the end of 2005.

"I think that the debate has evolved well, and the name of Brazil is increasingly mentioned in case the number of countries with permanent seats is enlarged," the Minister commented during the 13th Ibero-American Summit, which ended this Saturday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

For Amorim, the fact that the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, supports the group that is considering reform is a sign that the Permanent Council may really be expanded in the near future. Currently, only China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States hold permanent seats.

The UN Security Council's chief task is to maintain peace and order among countries, in accordance with the principles of the UN, even if this requires sending troops to the scene of conflicts. Council members can also authorize economic sanctions to force countries to end situations that put the local population at risk.

Amorim also did not rule out the possibility of Brazil's ceding part of its two-year term to Argentina, if the Security Council accepted this arrangement. (DAS)