WASHINGTON, July 17: In a significant shift in its position, the United States has agreed to recommend giving three permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council to developing countries.

The decision, a surprise move from its five-year old policy of supporting membership for only Japan and Germany in an expanded Security Council, will be announced soon. The new US position opens a window for India which has pressed its case for a permanent membership, consistently arguing that its size and importance in the world demands it. Brazil, Argentina, Nigeria and South Africa are among members from other continents which have made similar demands.

The five current permanent members are the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia. The Security Council is the only body in the organisation with the power to order military force and make other binding decisions.

Under the new proposal to be mooted by Washington, the expanded Security Council may have 20 or 21 members. The permanent membership will be expanded to 10, including Japan and Germany. There three developing world slots will go one each to Asia, Africa and Latin America. The non-permanent seats will remain at 10, with the possibility of adding just one more.

The US position was spelled out by Bill Richardson, the US representative to the UN, at a meeting organised by Razali Ismail, Malaysia's representative and the president of the General Assembly. Razali has been urging the Assembly to move faster in expanding the Security Council, which has not changed in size since the 1960s.

Indian officials reacted cautiously but positively to the new American proposal.

``The fact that they are prepared to accept developing countries as permanent members is a progressive move. But we will have to wait and see the fallout of the non permanent quota not being expanded,'' India's UN Ambassador Prakash Shah told The Indian Express.

There are already intense rivalries among countries about the proposed expansion. Pakistan, for instance, is dead set against a seat for India and has argued that a country which has not lived by UN resolutions cannot be made a permanent SC member.

But under the Razali proposal, if regions cannot come to a consensus, membership will be decided by voting in the General Assembly. Thus, if Brazil is opposed by Argentina or India by Pakistan, it will be decided on a vote in which India is expected to win easily. The African countries have agreed to be members on a rotation basis.

India is the only declared country from Asia. In successive speeches over the last three years at the United Nations, the Indian foreign minister has said New Delhi is an obvious choice since it fulfils all the criteria for permanent membership in terms of population, influence, contribution to UN peace keeping force, commitment to multilateralism and ideas.

Indian officials say Pakistan is not a declared candidate and its only objective has been to thwart India. The only other possible candidate from Asia is Indonesia, but given the trouble Indonesians are having in Washington, it is doubtful if they will make a serious bid.

India has argued that the geo-political scenario in the world has changed drastically from the 1960s when many countries were still emerging from colonialism, necessitating the recasting of the Security Council.

Richardson, who has visited India in recent times when he was a Congressman from New Mexico (most notably in an effort to rescue the hostages kidnapped by Al-Faran) is known to be sympathetic to India's case.

But at Wednesday's meeting, he did not spell out how the countries would be chosen and questions about veto powers.

Reports said under the American plan, developing countries would be left to decide how to choose who would fill the new permanent seats, and whether these seats would also be rotated.

Also under the Razali proposal, all five new permanent members are to join the expanded council simultaneously. Therefore, unless the developing country quota is filled, Japan and Germany cannot come on board.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.