Annan, Mbeki to discuss UN reform
14 March 2006
Kicking off a two-week farewell visit to Africa, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is to meet South African President Thabo Mbeki and address Parliament in Cape Town on Tuesday, after arriving in the country on Monday.
Annan's visit is his second since he took over the reins of the UN in 1997, and marks the imminent end of his 10-year tenure as UN secretary-general.
His discussions with Mbeki are likely to include reform of the UN, its Security Council and international financial institutions, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The department says South Africa believes the multilateral system of global governance remains the country's only hope of resolving challenges facing the international community.
"South Africa is indeed honoured to host and to be associated with this eminent and great son of Africa who has played a critical role in shaping global affairs in ongoing efforts to create peace, stability,
sustainable development while pushing back the frontiers of poverty and underdevelopment," Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said in a statement.
"We remember fondly that it is during his tenure that the world body endorsed African efforts aimed at the political and economic reconstruction and development of the continent and the adoption of Nepad."
Africa and the Security Council
According to Steven Friedman, senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Studies, the composition of the Security Council and "the role of Africa in that respect are pressing issues that, I believe, would obviously come to the fore" in Annan's discussions with Mbeki.
"South Africa is the major role player in UN issues, and Annan is central to all UN issues, therefore I believe they have the capacity to contribute to a way forward on the Security Council reforms."
Jan van Eck, a researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, agreed that the
meeting "would take the current consultation on reforms forward".
Van Eck said the two leaders were central and committed to UN reform.
"I am sure that their discussion would revolve more around the question of how to go about fast-tracking talks on these reforms than whether the reforms must go ahead," he said.
There has long been discussion of the comprehensive reform of the UN, including the Security Council, which is tasked with ensuring global peace and security. The council has five permanent member nations; African nations want to have at least one permanent seat.
Currently only three African countries - Ghana, Congo Brazzaville and Tanzania - are non-permanent members of the Security Council.
Annan will also address Parliament on the future challenges facing the "multilateral system" of the UN on Wednesday, and will share his experiences of his 10-year tenure as UN secretary-general.
He will wrap up his trip with a courtesy visit to former
President Nelson Mandela on Wednesday, and will also meet with representatives of NGOs in Soweto during a visit to the Hector Peterson Memorial.
After South Africa, Annan will visit Madagascar, Congo Brazzaville and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SouthAfrica.info reporter and BuaNews
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