JAKARTA - Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Thursday reasserted his country's claim to a seat on an expanded UN Security Council, but said reform of the body must not come at the cost of world unity.
Gheit told reporters on the sidelines of an Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta that Egypt was expecting to secure one of two permanent Security Council seats slated for Africa under reforms proposed by Secretary General Kofi Annan.
"If the enlargement takes place and if option A, the addition of permanent seats are included, and Africa is offered two seats, we expect that Egypt would be included," he said.
"However, Egypt also prefers that whatever enlargement takes place, it would take place in the context of creating balance."
South Africa is widely seen as a favourite to fill one of the two seats that will be set aside for Africa at the Security Council, alongside the five permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
But Egypt will have to battle for the other seat with Nigeria, a strong contender for membership.
"The enlargement of the UN security council is something that we have to work for but it has to be a balanced enlargement and it has to give every major player his due respect," Gheit said.
The minister said the UN reforms, which Annan wants to push through before September, should also extend to the Security Council's outlook.
"The enlargement per se is not enough... there has to be a change of behaviour, a change of the way the security council conducts its work," he said.
Annan was also in Jakarta Thursday, where he gave a briefing to Asian and African foreign ministers on his reform plans.
04/21/2005 10:21 GMT