1.   The idea of enlarging the council to include Germany and Japan as permanent members once seemed straightforward, even obvious.

2.   Permanent members, including Russia and the United States, have warned that enlarging the council too much could make it unruly.

3.   In his General Assembly address, Dini said the question of the veto should not be discussed independently of the issue of enlarging the council.

4.   Virtually everyone agrees the council should be enlarged.

5.   For the past three years member states have debated whether to enlarge the council.