US opposes UNSC seat for Germany

"Now is not the time that Germany should apply for a permanent seat," the unnamed diplomat was quoted as telling the Financial Times Deutschland.

Germany's stints as a non-permanent member of the Security Council had been "very problematic," indeed there were "more problems than ever," the diplomat said.

Germany's push to remove immunity from prosecution in the International Criminal Court for US peacekeepers was cited as an example. The Pentagon said earlier this month it was pulling small numbers of troops out of two UN peacekeeping operations because they now can be prosecuted in the court at The Hague in the Netherlands.

Germany started openly lobbying for a permanent seat on the Security Council earlier this year.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer was given a non-committal answer from China Thursday when he tried to win its endorsement during his current Asia trip.