Foreign Ministers of G-4 countries, including External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh, are in New York for crucial talks with their African counterparts during which they will try to reconcile differences on their resolutions on expansion of the United Nations Security Council.
The G-4 comprising India, Brazil Germany and Japan have already moved their resolution in the UN General Assembly, while Africans have also tabled one and are planning to move it on Monday.
Diplomats were hopeful on the eve of Saturday's meeting that they will be able to smooth out the path for a vote in the General Assembly within a week or so on the expansion of the UNSC.
Singh arrived in New York on Saturday especially for the luncheon meeting with his counterparts from G-4 and Africa, and is scheduled to leave for Washington to join Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who will be arriving in Washington on Sunday for a visit, during which he will meet United States President George W Bush.
Any changes in the G-4 resolution will require consultations with the co-sponsors, and diplomats said it will be difficult for them to change their position.
While the Africans want veto power for new permanent members immediately, the G-4 draft accepts the principle of full
equality with the current permanent members, but defers the exercise of veto by new permanent members for 15 years when the General Assembly will revisit the issue.
The composition of the African delegation was not announced till Saturday night, but it will be led by Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji.
Natwar Singh, along with G-4 counterparts, including Nobutaka Machimura of Japan, Joschka Fischer of Germany and
Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim of Brazil is scheduled to meet UN General Assembly President Jean Ping shortly before their
luncheon meeting.
They were expected to meet UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, but he is not seeing anyone this weekend because of the shoulder surgery he underwent on Friday.
