Foreign ministers from Germany, Japan, India and Brazil on Sunday mounted a diplomatic offensive to get crucial African support for their bid for an expanded U.N. Security Council in hopes for a vote this month. Without support of the 53-member African Union, which has sent several foreign ministers, led by Nigeria, no enlargement is possible of the 15-member council, whose composition still reflects the balance of power at the end of World War II, according to Reuters. The four ministers met U.N. Assembly President Jean Ping early on Sunday before they hold crucial negotiations with African foreign ministers in a make-or-break session. They could reach a compromise or continue to talk in New York or capitals. But without agreement between the four aspirants and the African Union, there is no chance any plan will get the necessary two-thirds vote in the 191-member General Assembly needed for enlargement. "We will start again again from the 22nd, and we are now discussing the next steps," said Ping, who will be away most of this week. He was flanked by Foreign Ministers Joschka Fischer of Germany, Nobutaka Machimura of Japan, Celso Amorin of Brazil and Natwar Singh of India. --More 2205 Local Time 1905 GMT
