NEW YORK, February 20 (RIA Novosti) - Russia supports the current format of having five veto-holding permanent members on the UN Security Council, Russia's envoy to the UN said.

Representatives of the 192 UN member states met on Thursday to discuss reforms to the only UN body, where decisions are binding.

"Let's be realistic - whatever variant to extend the UN Security Council [is chosen,] the status of its permanent members, including the right of veto, should remain unchanged," Vitaly Churkin said.

The Security Council, which first met after the end of World War II, currently has 15 members, five of them - Russia, China, the U.S., the U.K. and France - are permanent veto-holding members, others are elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly.

The Russian envoy expressed regret that the UN delegations have failed to agree on "common ground, which could lay the basis for talks."

One of the reform proposals would allow non-permanent members to be immediately reelected for several consecutive terms, creating de facto a system of semi-permanent members for an indefinite period.

Japan, Germany, Brazil and India are seeking to expand the current 15-member Security Council to 25 members and a permanent seat without the right of veto. A rival plan, backed, by among others, Italy and Pakistan, propose adding 10 new non-permanent seats to the body. Many other ideas have also been mooted.

Churkin also said he was against imposing a deadline for the negotiation process, which is expected to last well into next year.