'Africa is flexible on UN'
2005-07-15 08:45
Nick Wadhams
United Nations - Africa is willing to compromise on expanding the United Nations Security Council, Nigeria's foreign minister said, clearing room for a deal with four nations seeking permanent seats on the powerful decision-making body.
Oluyemi Adeniji's comments on Thursday exposed a sharp public rift between some African nations and Algeria, whose UN ambassador, Abdallah Baali, took the floor of the General Assembly on Tuesday and angrily said Africa would not compromise on its vision for council reform.
"I do not believe that the Algerian permanent representative could have spoken on behalf of Africa," said Adeniji, whose country holds the presidency of the 53-nation African Union. "He made a mistake."
The debate over how best to reform the 15-nation Security Council has become increasingly bitter in the leadup to a September summit of world leaders, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's deadline for a decision. Most nations agree that the council must be revamped, but can't decide how best to do it.
Not negotiate on some issues
In its current form, the 15-member council has five permanent members - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - with veto power. Nations fill the other 10 seats in two-year rotating terms.
Adeniji said Africa will not negotiate on some things - like the demand for two new permanent seats for African nations on the council. But he suggested Africa was flexible on whether new members of the council should have veto power, an idea almost certain to fail because of widespread opposition from other members.
"The African group has to listen to others," Adeniji said. "We have to take into account their concerns and observations and to see how best to realise our own desire for African representation."
On Monday, Brazil, Germany, India and Japan introduced a proposal which would expand the council from 15 to 25 members, adding six permanent seats without veto power and four non-permanent seats. Those four - dubbed the Group of Four - each want a permanent seat, with the other two earmarked for Africa.
But the 53-nation African Union responded with a draft resolution that seeks not only two permanent seats for Africa, but veto power as well.
Any document would need two-thirds support of the 191-nation UN General Assembly, and the African proposal created fears of a deadlock.
Those fears were stoked on Tuesday when Baali, the Algerian ambassador who told the council about the African proposal, said that Africa "cannot support any draft other than this draft and only this draft."
He lashed out at Germany, whose ambassador had expressed confusion at the tough Algerian stance.
In the meantime, an African delegation has been in New York talking with diplomats including from the Group of Four. Another group, called Uniting for Consensus, doesn't want to create any new permanent members and has remained steadfast in its opposition.
- AP