Africa wants seats on UN body

2005-02-22 14:45

Mbabane - Foreign ministers from 15 African countries have agreed to press demands for Africa to be granted two veto-wielding permanent seats at the UN security council, ambassadors said on Tuesday.

The foreign ministers met for three days in the southern African kingdom of Swaziland to draw up a response to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's blueprint for UN reform that calls for bringing more members into the UN security council, the executive of the 191-member United Nations.

"The ministers have agreed on Africa having two permanent seats on a reformed security council. These would be non-rotating seats with full veto powers," a West African ambassador told AFP.

Germany, Japan, India and Brazil have launched a bid for permanent seats on the United Nations security council, whose set-up giving veto rights to five countries - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - dates from World War II.

South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria have indicated an interest in representing Africa at the security council, but the foreign ministers did not consider candidates during the meeting, according to the ambassadors.

The foreign ministers also agreed to push for two additional non-permanent seats at the security council, according to the ambassadors.

There are currently three non-permanent seats within the 15-member Security Council set aside for representatives from Africa.

The proposal agreed by the 15-nation committee in Swaziland is to be discussed at a meeting of the African Union's executive council in Addis Ababa on March 7 and 8.

- AFP