WASHINGTON, June 27: President George W. Bush on Monday put a damper on the efforts of the G-4 nations to join the UN Security Council as permanent members by declaring that the US wants the world body to adopt broad reforms before seeking to expand the council.

Mr Bush’s statement was particularly significant because he said it at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder who met him at the White House on Monday. Germany is one of the four nations who want to join the Security Council as permanent members. The other three are India, Japan and Brazil.

“We oppose no country’s bid for the Security Council,” said Mr Bush when a reporter asked if he opposed Germany’s bid for a Security Council seat. He added: “The UN also needs broader reform than just the Security Council. There needs to be management reform, there needs to be reform of the Human Rights Commission, there needs to be broad reform.”

The United States has been noncommittal about the idea of a German seat, although Washington is supporting a seat for Japan. So far the Bush administration has taken no position on India or Brazil.

Chancellor Schroeder, who Mr Bush said had a “frank discussion with him on this issue, acknowledged that there were differences between the United States and Germany on the timing of expanding the Security Council. But he said he was “happy to hear there was no opposition to Germany, as such” becoming a permanent member of the council.

He said it has “always been clear” to him that the proposed reforms come first and then the candidacies to potential seats. “And obviously, then the process will have to continue.”

Mr Schroeder argued that his country deserved a Security Council seat in part as recognition for the contributions it was making to peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans and the help it was providing to train Iraqi security forces.

“Since we are doing all these things internationally, we would very much hope that at some point in time we could also have the right to representation on the Security Council if there were the space,” Mr Schroeder said he told Mr Bush.

While making the case for Germany’s acceptance into the Security Council, Mr Schroeder said repeatedly that Germany — one of the key opponents to the US invasion of Iraq — had been there “right from the start” to help with Iraqi debt relief and getting Iraqi security forces ready to take over from coalition troops.

“I appreciate your focus… I think that Germany’s contribution in Iraq is important,” Mr Bush responded.

President Bush also asked the German chancellor to continue working with leaders of France and Great Britain to tell Iran jointly that development of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.

Germany, France and Britain have offered Iran economic concessions if Tehran permanently halts all uranium-enrichment activities. The United States alleges Iran’s enrichment programme is aimed at building atomic weapons.

“My message is to the chancellor is that we continue working with Great Britain, France and Germany to send a focused, concerted, unified message that says the development of a nuclear weapon is unacceptable and a process which would enable Iran to development a nuclear weapon is unacceptable,” Mr Bush said.

Chancellor Schroeder said he agreed with President Bush’s message to Iran. “We’re going to continue being tough and firm on all of that,” he said after his Oval Office meeting with Mr Bush. “The message must stay very crystal clear, and it is.”