Africa's 'Big 3' jostle for UN seat

2004-09-29 13:17

Johannesburg - A race between Africa's three regional pillars - Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt - for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, is gathering pace, though the top body has yet to formally invite Africa to its table.

All three countries have come forward to say they are keen to join Britain, China, France, the United States and Russia as members of a revamped Security Council, the top decision-making body of the 191-member United Nations.

"Africa, whose issues occupy a substantial part of the Security Council's time, ought to be accorded priority consideration for permanent membership and Nigeria, I strongly believe, is a well qualified candidate," Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo told the UN General Assembly last week.

Currently Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States have veto-wielding power while ten other nations are elected as non-permanent members in the Security Council for two-year terms each.

Nigeria 'squaring off' with SA and Egypt

Nigeria, the biggest contributor of peacekeeping troops in Africa, is squaring off with South Africa, the continent's economic giant, and Egypt, a strong US ally and strategic player in the Middle East.

Proclaiming that it was ready to "serve the people of Africa and the people of the world," South Africa maintains that there should be two seats for Africa on the Security Council.

For its part, Egypt is proposing a rotation "with our African brothers" to fill the "additional seats" to be allocated to the continent, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said.

Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade joined in the debate, saying that Africa should have two permanent seats and two other non-permanent seats in a new expanded Security Council.

Reform of the Security Council has the firm support of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who has asked a high-level panel to submit proposals in December.

While the diplomatic jostling is taking place in open view, there is much uncertainty as to how the changes will take place and whether the continent, which has long sought a Security Council seat, will remain united in that view during the race.

"It remains to be seen whether Nigeria and Egypt - if South Africa emerges as the principal contender - will actually still continue to mobilise support for an African seat if that actually occurs, " says Greg Mills, director of the South African Institute for International Affairs.

Beyond the prestige of membership in the power club, there has been little debate about the benefits that Africa may gain from the representation, he says.

"With permanent membership comes not only the profile that these African countries desire, but also a range of responsibilities... not least in terms of a UN peacekeeping role," says Mills.

- AFP