UN: The campaign by the "G4" (Group of Four) countries - Brazil, Germany, India and Japan - for permanent seats on the UN Security Council has suffered a setback with the announcement by the US that it favours an increase of only "two or so" in permanent membership.
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said Washington was opposed to "big-bang expansion" and "would likely support adding two or so new permanent members" and "two or three" additional non-permanent seats.
He singled out Japan as a country that should get a permanent seat.
Longtime diplomatic observers said the US had "put the cat among the pigeons" with its surprise intervention.
The US position, regarded by some as specially designed to sink the G4 campaign, will be explained in more detail at the General Assembly next week.
It is understood the US would also back a developing country - probably India - for permanent membership.
Germany yesterday criticised the US proposal, claiming it failed to correct the current "imbalance" on the council.
German government spokesman Thomas Steg told journalists in Berlin: "We continue to believe that our proposal of expanding the Security Council by another six permanent members and four non-permanent members offers the best basis to better legitimate decisions at the council and become more representative and to take into account the interests of those who are not sufficiently represented, namely developing countries."
Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi said in Tokyo that Japan could not support the US plan as it clearly conflicted with the G4 proposal.
The fact that the United States, Japan's closest ally, had made such a proposal had put Japan in a difficult situation. But he would do his utmost to persuade the United States to understand Japan's position.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has remained reticent about the Irish position, and officials plead that this status as a special envoy of Secretary General Kofi Annan on UN reform precludes him from taking a public stance at this stage.