G-4, AU fail to agree on UNSC

United Nations ambassadors of India, Japan, Germany and Brazil and African

Union failed to find a common position on expansion of the Security Council and decided to return the issue to their foreign ministers.

The failure of G-4 ambassadors' talks with their AU counterparts came even as Pakistan and Italy-led 'Uniting for Consensus' group was preparing to move its own resolution in the General Assembly. The UFC draft calls for expansion of the 15-member council in only the non-permanent category with addition of ten new members, to take its strength to 25.

AU ambassadors were unable to agree on a common position with G-4, which would have led to substantive discussions, diplomats said. G-4 presented AU with their options but the latter were unable to agree on any one position though they considered several options.

All the options would now be presented to the foreign ministers of G-4 and African Union who are scheduled to meet on Monday in London instead of Geneva.

African diplomats said that the joint G-4-AU meeting could be preceded by discussions among African foreign ministers and top officials in an effort to arrive at an agreed position.

Though several diplomats, including India's UN ambassador Nirupam Sen said they were leaving for London on Saturday ahead of Monday's meeting, no one was prepared to speculate whether the meeting would actually be held.