Nakasone, d'Escoto agree to advance UNSC reforms

NEW YORK, Sept. 27 Kyodo - Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone and U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann agreed Saturday on the need to advance the reform of
the U.N. Security Council, Japanese officials said.

Nakasone and d'Escoto, who became the chairman of the assembly this month, also
agreed that Japan and the United Nations will work closely on global issues
such as climate change and development as well as reforms of the whole U.N.
system, the officials said.
Nakasone was quoted as telling d'Escoto that Japan expects the chairman to deal
actively with the issue of Security Council reforms so that full
inter-governmental negotiations on the matter will begin at an early date.
D'Escoto, from Nicaragua, echoed Nakasone's view, saying that now is the time
to advance the bid for Security Council reforms, according to the officials.
Japan has sought to become a permanent Security Council member by expanding the
council, which is the main idea of the council reform initiative.
Nakasone, who took office last week in new Prime Minister Taro Aso's Cabinet,
visited New York to attend the ongoing General Assembly session and meet with
his counterparts from many countries.
==Kyodo