SIRTE, Libya, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- African leaders are expected to approve a resolution seeking two permanent seats on an expanded United Nations Security Council, said officials here Sunday.

   A draft resolution, hammered out by African foreign ministers, has detailed the continent's common position on the UN reform. It is to be submitted to the two-day African Union (AU) summit due to open in the Libyan seaport city of Sirte on Monday.

   According to the draft resolution, the UN Security Council members should be increased from 15 to 26, with six of the 11 new members being permanent ones with veto right and the rest five non-permanent ones.

   Two of the six new veto-wielding permanent seats shall go to African countries while another two to Asia, one to Latin America and the Caribbean and one to Western Europe, said officials familiar with the draft.

   The document, however, has failed to specify the candidates for the two permanent seats Africa eyes on. So far, eight African countries including South Africa, Egypt, Libya, Angola, Senegal, Nigeria and Gambia have announced intention to bid.

   As to the five new non-permanent seats, Africa will seek two with the rest divided among Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the draft resolution.

   In addition, the draft resolution, dubbed Africa's roadmap on UN reforms, calls for more effective UN secretariat general and a bigger role of the UN General Assembly.

   The position of the 53-member AU carries heavy weight in deciding the fate of the UN reform, especially that of the Security Council expansion. Any resolution on UN Security Council expansion must be approved by two-thirds of the 191-member UN General
Assembly.

   The so-called Group of Four including Brazil, Germany, India and Japan proposed adding ten seats to the UN Security Council -- six permanent seats and four non-permanent ones.

   Under the proposal, four permanent seats will go to themselves, and the other two permanent seats to African nations. The four countries are prepared to submit their proposal after the AU summit, hoping to rally support from the pan-Africa bloc.

   The G-4's proposal, however, has met strong opposition from Italy, Pakistan, South Korea, Mexico and dozens of other nations, which favor increasing the non-permanent council seats from 10 to 20 and call for consensus on the council reform to avoid a rift among the UN membership.

   UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as part of his major overhaul of the United Nations, has set the year end as the deadline for reaching an agreement on reforming the Security Council, which rules on war and peace, sanctions and peacekeeping operations. Enditem