BERLIN - German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi met on Monday to pursue their campaign for permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, the German government said.
The two leaders met in Moscow on the sidelines of celebrations to mark the end of World War Twoin
Europe and will step up their campaign with India and Brazil to garner support for plans to expand the Security Council with new permanent and non-permanent members, a statement said.
It said they would offer strong support to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's efforts to reform the world body.
Germany, Japan, Brazil and India have formed a joint lobbying group for permanent seats on the Security Council, which is still formed around the victors of World War Two and which they say does not reflect current realities.
Current permanent members of the UN Security Council are the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
Schroeder told German news television station n-tv that he had not used the occasion to press for wider support for Germany's drive for a Security Council seat but said he had been able to talk with other world leaders.
"I did not do any lobbying. This was a day to mark the end of the Second World War. But it's in the nature of things when 50 heads of state and government meet that there are always political talks on the side," he said.
- REUTERS
