France backs Group of Four bid for permanent UNSC status

New York: French ambassador to the UN, Jean-Maurice Ripert has said his country will support a bid by India and other Group of Four nations for permanent membership in the UN Security Council.

"Being a member of the Security Council bears particular responsibility toward the international community. In this regard, the United Nations charter emphasizes, first and foremost, the importance of taking into account the contribution of member states to maintaining international peace and security and to the other aims of the organisation," the French ambassador said on Tuesday in a General Assembly meet discussing reforms of the Security Council.

"It is in regard to this criterion that we support the accession of Germany, Brazil, India and Japan to permanent member status," Ripert said.

Amongst the five permanent Security Council members Britain has already backed the Group of Four bid and France now becomes the second country to do so.

The General Assembly has been involved in inter-governmental negotiations on the proposed expansion of the Security Council since February.