The United States made it clear on Tuesday Washington will not support the framework resolution submitted by Japan, Brazil, Germany and India, which calls for an increase of six permanent members on the Security Council.

Addressing the General Assembly, Ambassador Shirin Tahir-Kheli, senior adviser to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for UN Reform, said the resolution presented by the four countries, known as the G-4, should not be voted upon at this stage.

"I ask all countries to again very carefully consider the resolution before us and to ask the critical question: does this resolution serve to strengthen the United Nations? We believe it does not," she noted.

"We will work with you to achieve enlargement of the Security Council, but only in the right way and at the right time," she said. "We urge you, therefore, to oppose this resolution and, should it come to a vote, to vote against it."

The framework resolution proposes increasing the number of Security Council members to 25 from the current 15 by adding six new permanent members and four nonpermanent members. The G-4 countries are aspirants to permanent seats on the powerful council.

The two-day debate, which concluded late Tuesday, is the first of its kind in the UN history. A Security Council reform proposal requires two-thirds or 128 votes to be approved by the 191-nation assembly.

Source: Xinhua