A Bigger Horseshoe

Currently, the UN Security Council consists of 15 members, five of which or the P5 - the US, the UK, France, China and Russia - hold permanent seats and have veto rights on resolutions.

India, Germany, Japan and Brazil or the Group of 4 (G4) want the Security Council to be expanded to reflect contemporary global realities.

Of the 193 UN member-states (including India), only Pakistan is explicitly opposed to India's candidature.

But, UNSC reform is a long-drawn negotiation. Last month, the US along with Russia and China, opposed any negotiations to reform, as they refused to contribute to a text that that will form the basis for the reform process. The other two members, France and the UK, provided their inputs.

Russia supports India and Brazil's inclusion in the UNSC but not of its Second World War rivals, Japan and Germany. China has its reservations about Japan and isn't entirely comfortable with the Indian bid.

At least three of the five need to favour a resolution in the Security Council for its expansion.

The L-69 group (known by the resolution number L69 of 2008), comprising 42 developing Asian, African and Latin American countries, supports the G4 position of urgent reform of the UNSC. This group includes Brazil, India, South Africa, Nigeria and 14 other African countries, the 15-member CARICOM or the Caribbean Community and 40-member Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The C-10, a group of 10 African countries to negotiate UNSC reform on behalf of the 53-member African Union, also supports expansion.

The UFC or Uniting for Consensus or the Coffee Club, with 12 core members, is opposed to expansion. These are Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Pakistan, South Korea, San Marino, Spain and Turkey.

For UNSC to be expanded, a minimum of 128 votes will be required in the General Assembly on a resolution for expansion in both permanent and non-permanent seats.