UNITED NATIONS - Italy is organizing a big meeting of UN member states in Rome next week in an obvious bid to chart out a strategy aimed at halting the momentum of the G-4 countries (India, Brazil, Germany and Japan), who are campaigning for permanent membership in an expanded Security Council. Some 100 delegations will take part in the May 16 meeting, which will discuss reform of the 15-member council, with emphasis on the need for consensus in deciding reforms of the 15-member body, a news release of the Italian Mission to the U.N. said. China and the United States, two of the five permanent members with veto power, will also take part. The other permanent members are: Britain, France and Russia. Diplomats said China's presence at the meeting will mean a red flag for the G-4 countries. The G-4 members have expressed confidence that they would achieve their objective during the current session of the General Assembly ending in September. In recent months, China has sent off demarches to UN missions asking everyone to put the brakes on the UNSC reform process. Diplomats said that since March, southeast Asian countries have been repeatedly reminded by China that UNSC expansion should take its time, and be the result of a "broad consensus". China is the only P-5 member to continue to oppose the G-4's UNSC ambitions. Britain, France and Russia have already their support to India, while US President Barack Obama endorsed New Delhi's candidature when he visited last November. Italy and Pakistan head the "Uniting for Consensus" (UfC), a group which advocates consensus on reforming the Council, instead of a divisive vote. The group opposes any addition to the Council's permanent members, but seeks enlargement of the 10-member non-permanent category, with the new members elected for two-year terms, along with the possibility of immediate re-election. Pakistan's delegation to the meeting is expected to be led by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, according to sources here. "The purpose of the meeting is to encourage a greater spirit of compromise and to underline the need for a consensus in deciding on a reform," the news release said. "In terms of substance, the meeting will consider in an informal context the principles and criteria that should apply to countries that wish to assume greater responsibilities in a reformed Security Council," the news release said. The General Assembly President, Joseph Deiss, and Afghanistan UN Ambassador, Zahir Tanin, who is the Facilitator of the on-going intergovernmental negotiations on Security Council reform, will also attend the meeting. "Overall participation in the event is thus 30% higher than in the previous meeting that Italy hosted on this issue in 2009 (on the eve of the intergovernmental negotiations), attesting to the growing attention of the international community to the Security Council process underway in New York," the Italian Mission said. "The focus on dialogue and consensus are driven by the need for the general membership of the United Nations to be reflected in an eventual reform, a goal that only be achieved through compromise. Attempts to force through a solution, such as the very divisive vision being promoted this year by the G4, serve only to split the membership and dim the prospects of a reform of the UN system." Other key points listed by the Italian Mission for discussion are: 1. Opposition to new permanent seats, which would impede the effectiveness and democratic functioning of the Security Council; 2. The importance of the regional dimension in an international scenario where regional organization such as the European Union and the African Union have taken on a growing role: a reality that is not reflected in the current composition of the Council. Africa, for example, is the object of some 70% of the Councils deliberations, but holds only two seats on the Council; 3. The only way to develop legitimate representation for each Continent is through agreements with the most advanced regional organizations, following a logic of rotation and accountability.