BERLIN, July 16: The United States strongly opposes Germany's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, a US administration official told Friday's Financial Times Deutschland.

"Now is not the time for Germany to apply for a permanent seat," the official, who was not named, told the paper. "When is the right time is hard to say. We will see."

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was in China on Friday during a five-country tour to promote Berlin's bid for a permanent seat. Germany, which currently holds one of 10 rotating non-permanent seats on the body, was among the most vocal opponents of the US-led Iraq war.

The US official said Berlin's stance on the war had not helped its case in Washington's eyes. "Since Germany has been a member of the Security Council, we have had more problems than before," he said.

Germany had also become involved in the regular clashes within the Council over Washington's bid to gain exemption from prosecution by international war crimes courts for US peacekeeping troops, the official said.

Before Germany took up its non-permanent seat, the United States was in broad agreement with the European members of the Council over the issue "but then Germany started causing problems," the official said.

Any reorganisation of the Security Council would require the agreement of the United States, which is one of the five permanent members along with Britain, China, France and Russia. -AFP