African leaders gathered Monday in an extraordinary summit in Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to break a deadlock over African Union's stance on UN reforms, officials said.

Adam Thiam, spokesman for African Union Commission chairperson Alpha Oumar Konare, told journalists that the leaders discussed a report presented by Sierra Leone's President Tejan Kabbah on the reforms of the UN Security Council.

Kabbah was leading a committee to hold talks among African countries, who hope to be permanent members of the UN Security Council, in order to seek possible ways to revise the continent's common position on the UN reforms, he said.

The committee comprises presidents of Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Congo, Kenya, Libya, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia.

Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Kenya and South Africa are the leading African candidates for two proposed Security Council permanent seats.

In August, after heated debate the 53-member bloc rejected calls to change its demand for a 26-member UN Security Council with six new permanent, veto-wielding seats, of which Africa will have two, and five non-permanent seats of which Africa would have two.

At that time, AU leaders rejected an appeal to join the G4 grouping of Brazil, India, Japan and Germany that has proposed expanding the council to 25 members, with six new permanent seats without veto power and four non-permanent seats.

World leaders failed to agree on reforms of the Security Council.

Diplomats here say Monday's summit could see the start of a reconsideration of Africa's common position on the UN reforms.

The Security Council is currently composed of 15 members, of whom five -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - - have veto power, while 10 non-permanent seats are elected for a two-year term.

Any changes on the Security Council composition have to be voted for by the UN General Assembly and can only be effected with a two-thirds majority of the 191 member states.

Source: Xinhua