Egypt seeks new role

2005-01-29 12:03

Cairo - Egypt will strive to revive its presence and revitalise its role on the African continent at the Abuja summit of the African Union in a bid to win a seat on the United Nations Security Council, analysts have said.

"For Egypt, 2005 will be the Year of Africa," said Issam Abderahman, Cairo's ambassador to Sierra Leone, setting the tone for Egypt's bid to put its diplomacy in overdrive at the summit which convenes on Sunday and Monday.

Cairo is looking beyond the summit to ensure that it can vie for one of the two African seats that will be made available at the Security Council as part of reforms being mulled by the New York-based United Nations.

In a bid to show that his country means business, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has failed to attend the African summit since he survived an assassination attempt in Addis Ababa in 1995, will lead Egypt's delegation to Abuja.

However, Egypt will face tough competition.

SA is favourite

South Africa is widely seen as a favourite to fill one of the two seats that will be set aside for Africa at the Security Council, alongside the five permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

But Egypt will have to battle for the other seat with Nigeria, a strong contender for membership in the exclusive UN club of the powerful.

Egyptian analysts believe that Cairo will have more clout and is better prepared to represent the Arab countries within the African Union - Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan.

Cairo has also historic and strong ties with sub-African nations like Senegal and Mali, whose populations like Egypt are predominantly Muslim.

But analysts warn that Egypt's success will be linked to how well it will can revitalise its presence and role in Africa.

"To obtain a seat on the Security Council Egypt must reinforce its links with the continent," said Ahmed Errashidi, a professor of international law at the University of Cairo.

For Awatef Abderahman, communications professor at the university, Egyptian diplomats must first and foremost "stop considering their nomination in Africa as an exile (from the Arab world) or a catastrophe".

"We must energise Egypt's economic role in Africa," said Ahmed Abdel Wanniss, a professor at the university's faculty of economics.

Egypt-African trade accounts for less than two percent of Egypt's total trade.

Ahmed Abu Gheit, Cairo's former chief delegate to the United Nations, has trekked across the African continent since his appointment as Egypt's foreign minister in July to renew ties with African countries.

Before leaving Thursday for Abuja, the Egyptian foreign minister said that Cairo was ready to help resolve conflicts in the continent. - AFP

- SAPA