Africa 'reasonably optimistic'

2005-07-21 21:08

Edith M Lederer

New York - The African Union (AU) is reasonably optimistic that it can reach agreement with Brazil, Germany, India and Japan on a plan to expand the United Nations security council that could win quick UN approval, said Nigeria's foreign minister on Wednesday.

Oluyemi Adeniji, whose country heads the 53-nation regional organisation, said a meeting on Monday of ministers from both sides is "very, very crucial" because it could be one of the last chances to come up with a compromise resolution that could be quickly put to a vote in the general assembly.

Asked to assess the chances of emerging from the meeting, which has been moved from Geneva to London, with a unified draft and then getting two-thirds of the 191 UN member states to approve it, Adeniji used the same words: "reasonably optimistic".

Decision to be made soon

After 10 years of seemingly endless debate, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in March he wants a decision on security council expansion before September.

There is widespread support for enlarging the current 15-member council to reflect the world today rather than global power after World War II when the UN was formed. But all previous attempts have failed because of national and regional rivalries.

The UN has 10 members elected for two-year terms representing different regions and five permanent members with veto power - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

At a meeting on Sunday, Adeniji said ministers from both sides agreed in principle that the two proposals had "a lot in common" but since neither could muster the required 128 votes their ambassadors should meet this week to try to bridge the differences.

On Tuesday, the ambassadors focused on the differences over the veto, exploring several approaches and making "some progress", he said.

Calling for a change

Adeniji said "Africa's basic position is that the veto is outdated, it's undemocratic, it should be done away with" - but as long as the five permanent members now on the council object to giving up the veto, Africa wants the same veto right for all new permanent members.

He said African nations must now weigh their options and make a "very hard decision".

"Which is more important at this time?" Adeniji asked. "You cannot exercise veto if you are not a permanent member. But you can be a permanent member and then struggle for veto later on in the hope you will get it, or in the hope it will be abolished even before you get it."

Both proposals would give Africa two permanent seats.

Adeniji said the African Union has insisted it will select the two countries who must act on behalf of the continent. There are currently eight candidates, with South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt the frontrunners, according to UN diplomats.

The most difficult step is a final resolution to change the UN Charter, which not only requires a two-thirds vote but also approval by the five permanent members.

- AP