Wednesday, May 25 2005 17:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: As India stepped up efforts for permanent membership of United Nation Security Council (UNSC), Pakistan has said that it was opposed to expansion of the world body's top organ in permanent category and favoured evolving a consensus to bring about reforms without setting up any "arbitrary deadlines."

This was stated by President Pervez Musharraf during a meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy, Ali Alatas, in Islamabad.

The already existing inequities in the UNSC should not be reinforced by expanding centres of privilege in the permanent category, Musharraf told Alatas who called on him last night (May 24, 2005).

Briefing Alatas, who is also advisor to the President of Indonesia, about Pakistan's position on UN reforms, Musharraf said Islamabad appreciated the efforts of Annan and supports in principle the reforms process to enable the world body respond effectively to new challenges.

But, he said that Pakistan was opposed to the expansion in the Permanent Membership of the Security Council.

As G-4 countries comprising India, Germany, Japan and Brazil, made strong push for expansion of the UNSC's permanent member seats with veto powers, the 'Coffe Club' led by Pakistan and Italy opposed the expansion of the Permanent Members.

Pakistan has also dispatched a journalist Nasim Zehra to various Latin American countries to lobby against the expansion of the Permanent Members. Zehra set out on the mission from Washington, media reports in Islamabad said.