Global consensus grew Monday at a ministerial conference in Rome on the urgent need to reach a compromise on the UN Security Council reform that will embrace as many different stances as possible among its members.
The informal meeting, chaired by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, was aimed at reviving negotiations on the delicate renewal process of the UN's central body and thus overcome the impasse brought about by diverging interests.
Participants demonstrated the common desire to boost dialogue and bridge harmful divisions, Italian Ambassador to the UN Cesare Ragaglini said at a press briefing after the meeting.
Out of a total of 123 participants, around 70 took the floor and voiced their determination to cooperate in finding a "win-win" solution for the enlargement of the Security Council, Ragaglini said, adding that the reform reflected the shifting international power balances and responded with resiliency to global challenges.
The main goal of the reform, as stated by UN General Assembly President Joseph Deiss, is to create "a more efficient, inclusive and representative global governance that combines legitimacy, efficiency and expertise."
Deiss warned that if the UN fails to secure a compromise, it would lose credibility.
In his welcome speech, Frattini stressed that "pursuing divergences will cause incalculable damage to the UN."
"Every state will be affected by the restructure of the Security Council, and therefore it is only through enhanced multilateralism that the system can be strengthened," Frattini said.
"Compromise" thus emerged as the watchword of the conference.
The five Uniting for Consensus (UfC) countries -- Italy, Argentina, Canada, Colombia and Pakistan -- consolidated their stances to support an enlargement of the Security Council based on a regional basis, the extension of non-permanent members' mandate currently set to two years and a more efficient decision-making process.
The meeting contributed to isolating the so-called Group of Four (G4) -- Germany, Brazil, India and Japan -- whose goal it is to grab one permanent seat each on the Security Council, Ragaglini said.
"Such a positive meeting was a success not just for Italy, but for everyone," he said, adding that the meeting has relaunched the negotiations and supplied the input necessary to start work at once.
Talks also focused on the UfC's proposals to enlarge the Security Council by incorporating regional groups.
Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister Joseph Bandabla Dauda said that the time has come to repair the "historical injustice" of "marginalized" Africa's not being appropriately represented at the Security Council.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said the Security Council should take in developing countries and that reform of the council should be through constructive intergovernmental negotiations.
"Africa must gain its rightful place in the global system and no reform will be fair if it does not address this issue. Any bypassing of the negotiations in an attempt to pass through proposal drafts will trigger a deeper division among members," said Cui.
Ragaglini said The meeting contributed to reviving talks, but now the ball is in the G4's court.
"Now it's up to the G4 if they intend to negotiate or not. Their proposal is inappropriate and does not help the reform process," Ragaglini said.
None of the G4 members were present at the one-day conference in Rome.