UNITED NATIONS, July 18 (Xinhuanet) -- African nations promoted on Monday their draft resolution on the Security Council expansion in the General Assembly, stressing the time is ripe to accord Africa permanent representation on the powerful council.

    Following discussions last week on the proposal for the council reform presented by the G-4 -- Brazil, Germany, India and Japan, the assembly on Monday heard Africa's proposal for the council reform, which would increase the body's membership from 15 to 26.

    The proposal, introduced by Nigerian Ambassador Bashir Wali, on behalf of the African States, seeks to enlarge the council in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, granting Africa two permanent and two new non-permanent seats.

    It would accord the new permanent members the same prerogatives and privileges as those of the current permanent members, including the right of veto.

    Wali said the draft is submitted "with a view to serving as a reference point for negotiation with other member states and interested groups."

    "Africa is, therefore, open to negotiations," he said. "But fornegotiations to be productive, it goes without saying that the interlocutors must have fundamental points of agreement bearing inmind the determination of Africa to rectify its present position as the only region without representation on the Security Council in the permanent membership category."

    In their speeches, the representatives of Algeria and Egypt reiterated Africa's determination to get the veto power for new permanent council members.

    "Either the veto should be abolished or it should be granted to new permanent members," Algerian Ambassador Abdallah Baali said. "Without the right of veto, new permanent members will have no impact on the process of events, and the relationship of force will remain dominated by the five permanent members."

    The representative of Burkina Faso, Michel Kafando, said that Africa's demand for new council seats is the bare minimum, given that Africa had no permanent seat on the council, while Europe alone had up to three.

    "Any restructuring of the Council, therefore, should not ignorethat fact," he stressed. "Since no United Nations reform could take place without Africa, whose states represented some 37 percent of General Assembly votes, it must be taken into account."

    The debate took place after the African Union and the G-4 failed to resolve their differences over the Security Council expansion at a foreign ministers' meeting in New York on Sunday.

    The G-4's draft resolution, which was already tabled to the General Assembly, calls for an increase of six permanent members and four non-permanent members on the council. But it also proposes a 15-year freeze on the veto power for the new permanent members.

    Without the support of the 53-nation African Union, the G-4 will not get the required two-thirds or 128 votes to have its draft adopted by the assembly. Enditem