Germany's dreams to become a permanent UN Security member is "an illusion", chancellor designate Angela Merkel's foreign policy adviser Christoph Heusgen has said.

In an interview to be published Thursday by the weekly Die Zeit, Heusgen said that Germany's top foreign policy interest is a bigger role in the European Union (EU).

Expressing his opinion about outgoing Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's effort for a permanent Security Council seat, Heusgen said, "That is at present an illusion - the Europeans must cooperate better in the Security Council."

Heusgen, who served as chief-of-staff for EU top diplomat Javier Solana from 1999 to 2005, has been nominated as Merkel's chancellery foreign affairs adviser.

The Merkel-led grand coalition government will take office at the end of the month after the parliament elects Merkel chancellor on Nov. 22.

Source: Xinhua