UN: Germany and Japan have signalled their willingness to give up their demand for veto rights in a newly formed United Nations Security Council in a move aimed at overcoming opposition to their co-ordinated bids for permanent council seats.
The decision no longer to insist on full veto rights was agreed with Brazil and India, the other two countries in the joint campaign for permanent seats, according to German officials.
It came as the four countries intensified their diplomatic lobbying, after submitting a joint draft "framework" resolution on Monday, aimed at expanding the size of the Security Council from 15 to 25 members.
An internal German foreign ministry briefing paper, designed to guide diplomats in their lobbying work, stresses that "the question of the veto . . . should not be a hindrance to Security Council reform".
The draft resolution also notes, regarding veto rights, that "new permanent members should have the same responsibilities and obligations as the current permanent members". Diplomats said the use of the word "should" rather than "shall" was a sign to UN members that veto rights were not essential.
Japan and Germany, the second and third largest financial contributors to the UN respectively, insisted until recently that they would only accept permanent seats with veto rights.
Washington at the weekend signalled, however, that it would support the group only if they dropped the demand for a veto.
Japan's prime minister Junichiro Koizumi has acknowledged opposition to Japan's ambitions, saying existing members showed "strong intentions not to have their vested rights infringed on".
In India, diplomats said New Delhi had yet to respond formally to Washington's stance on veto rights, but Indian officials have reportedly suggested that the country is prepared to compromise on veto powers provided it is assured a seat on an enlarged council.
The framework resolution proposes six new permanent members and four non-permanent members. The group of four hopes at least 50 countries will sponsor the resolution and that it will be adopted by the necessary two-thirds majority in the UN General Assembly in June.
China has given a chilly reception to the draft resolution, saying it had the potential to "damage the UN reform process".