Germany Seeks a Permanent Council Seat
Germany on Wednesday sought a permanent seat on the Security Council and offered to contribute troops to U.N. peacekeeping forces, in a speech reflecting the country’s shedding of its post-Nazi era reticence in foreign policy.
In his debut appearance at the U.N. General Assembly, Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel noted that debate on reforming the 15-nation Security Council is now under way.
“We will not take the initiative in this respect, but if a change in the council’s composition is actually considered, we, too, shall seek a permanent seat,” he said.
Kinkel has said previously that if Japan pushes for a Security Council seat, it also would. Japan’s foreign minister, Michio Watanabe, made a veiled appeal for a seat in his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday.
Kinkel has said the present makeup of the Security Council reflects the international order at the end of World War II and should be restructured.
The five permanent members of the council are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.
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