The result is the permanency of the past in the present.

What makes permanent membership unique is not so much the permanency of the seat as the powers that go along with it.

That adjustment, which may appear to be somewhat theoretical, is important to the extent that it tones down the idea of permanency, a notion that causes considerable problems for a significant number of States.

Beyond those principles, it is necessary to find ways and means to allow for compromise on concrete issues, including the notion of permanency, the right of veto and the working methods, in order to enlarge the group of countries that can support the proposed enlargement with conviction.