Hoping to break the logjam over boosting the number of permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, some countries have come out for an "interim solution" such as creating semi-permanent status as a first step toward eventual expansion, according to U.N. diplomats.
Japan, whose campaign to expand the council's permanent five seats failed last year, intends to submit a resolution calling mainly for increasing the number of permanent members before the current General Assembly session closes in September.
However, should a resolution aimed at a provisional expansion materialize, diplomats are likely to intensify efforts to find common ground between competing proposals currently under consideration.
Several diplomats said Cyprus has unofficially presented a private proposal by its U.N. ambassador that calls for creating a new membership slot separate from the existing permanent and nonpermanent members.