NEW YORK, July 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The Group of Four (G4) countries seeking to become permanent members of the United Nations Security Council hope to seek a General Assembly vote on its framework resolution between July 22 and 27, Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen said here Friday.

    "Absolutely," Sen said when asked if India, Japan, Brazil and Germany are going to seek a vote during that time on their draft resolution on the expansion of the UN Security Council to include new permanent and nonpermanent members.

    The Indian ambassador made the remarks while attending a reception hosted by Ichiro Aisawa, Japan's senior vice foreign minister, for permanent representatives of UN member states and UNofficials at a New York hotel.

    Sen said the G4 had previously planned to seek a vote on the resolution on July 20. But the vote had to be postponed because incumbent Chairperson of the UN general assembly, Gabon Foreign Minister Jean Ping, is scheduled to go back to his country on July19-20.

    German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said that the outcome of Sunday's talks in New York between the G4 foreign ministers and several African foreign ministers, will decide the exact date whenthe vote will take place in the UN assembly. He hinted that the vote might be cast at the last week of July.

    Pleuger also expressed his confidence that the G4 and the African Union could reach an agreement on narrowing their differences over their resolutions.

    Citing similarities between the two resolutions, he said "thereis a good chance of finding an agreement" and getting to a common position that would be supported by the G4 and the African Union.

    Although both the G4 and the African Union are striving to boost the number of permanent seats on the Security Council to 11 from the current five, the African group wants the new permanent members to have veto rights straight away, while the G4 has put off the veto issue for 15 years.

    "We are confident that a good agreement can be reached," Pleuger added.

    A UN reform plan needs the backing of at least two-thirds of its 191 member countries, or 128, to be approved by the assembly. Enditem