Chancellor Angela Merkel reaffirmed Sunday that Germany intends to pursue a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, describing it as a goal her government would actively defend, though not its top priority.
Germany is among a group of nations, including Japan, Brazil, India, South Africa, and Nigeria, seeking new permanent membership on the council. The question was shelved in 2005 and is expected to resurface once Ban Ki Moon of South Korea succeeds Kofi Annan as secretary general in early 2007.
A foreign policy document set for debate at the Christian Democrat (CDU) party congress in Dresden stated that Germany supports a permanent EU seat on the Security Council and is willing to assume a permanent seat itself as an interim step toward that goal.
Merkel called for a stronger, more effective United Nations, arguing the Security Council must be able to act swiftly. The council currently has five permanent, veto-holding members, Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US, plus 10 elected non-permanent members serving two-year terms. A 2005 proposal by the Uniting for Consensus bloc sought to expand non-permanent membership to 20 while keeping permanent seats at five.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.