Give Africa two UN seats: Mbeki
Matome Sebelebele
15 April 2005
President Thabo Mbeki has called for two African countries to have permanent seats, with full veto powers, on the United Nations Security Council.
Answering questions in Parliament in Cape Town on Thursday, Mbeki said it was important for the continent to have "permanent right of veto" at the UN, to enable the global body to fight poverty.
World leaders will consider a report on UN reform at the body's general assembly in New York in September.
South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria are vying for what many argue are long-overdue seats for developing countries at the Security Council.
Although developing nations constitute a majority of the world body's membership, their voices within the Security Council are severely curtailed, with developed nations still calling the shots.
Currently only the US, France, Britain, China and Russia have permanent seats and veto powers while developing nations share among themselves rotational,
non-permanent roles with little power.
Developing countries are arguing against the current power balance within the UN, which they say results in the UN ignoring global poverty, genocide, human rights abuses and the underdevelopment of developing nations.
The UN Security Council was created based on a post-World War 2 scenario, which many argue has been overtaken by international events and global developments.
Source: BuaNews
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