The expansion of the BRICS group of developing nations would increase its economic and political heft as a non-Western forum, but internal disagreements would ultimately still limit the bloc's ability to become as influential as the Group of Seven (G-7). The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- known collectively as ''BRICS'' -- will meet in Cape Town, South Africa, on June 2-3 to discuss the bloc's enlargement and consider other countries' applications for membership. In April, South Africa's BRICS ambassador said that 19 countries had expressed an interest in joining the alliance, with 13 formally asking to join and the other six doing so informally. Countries known to have expressed an interest in becoming a BRICS member include Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates....
