Summit Endorses Reforms to Strengthen U.N.

Chancellor Schröder on Friday pushed for a permanent German seat on the U.N. Security Council at the EU-Latin America summit, that urged the U.S. to drop its go-it-alone stance and stressed the need for U.N. reform. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder told reporters in Guadalajara in Mexico on Friday that he saw "good chances that such a seat can be realized," and said it was recognized how sensitively and responsibly Germany behaved on the world political stage. Schröder's government has never concealed its interest in a German seat on the council and has stepped up efforts recently to accomplish it. Under the current structure, the Security Council has five permanent members - China, France, Great Britain, the United States and Russia. It also has 10 rotating members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Germany was shut out from permanent-seat status when the U.N. was formed in 1945. For Germany to get a seat, France or Britain would have to cede theirs-- not an easy option. Some European nations would like the 25-nation EU to get a permanent seat.