AU Executive Council asks for 2 African permanent seats at UNSC
Regional-UN, Politics, 3/8/2005

The African Union Executive Council yesterday urged that Africa be given two permanent and five non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council.

The council endorsed during its session today a report submitted by the council's 15-member Ministerial Committee on planned United Nations reforms.

Addressing the session, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit underlined the importance of endorsing in such a report because it tackles the reform process inside the Security Council, UN General Assembly and the UN Social and Economic Council.

He said that the report dealt among other things-with amending the performance of the UN, especially the rules governing the use of force and international intervention to serve world peace and security.

Abul-Gheit said that the report also tackled the issue of debts and the role of the international community in addressing African debts, poverty and diseases.

He said that Egypt suggested forming a technical committee to discuss the funding of the AU budget.

He stressed that no internal differences have surfaced during the meeting after approving the report, saying that more time and a lot of studies are needed to choose the countries that would represent Africa in any future UNSC.

Abul-Gheit said that he discussed with his Ethiopian counterpart Seyoum Mesfin on the sidelines of the meeting the projected visit to Cairo by Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi.

He termed as "good" the relations between Egypt and Ethiopia. Meanwhile, Abul-Gheit said that he received a phone call from Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Shaath briefing him on the situation in Palestine and Lebanon.

The seventh session of the AU Executive Council started yesterday with a speech by the AU Commissioner Alpha Oumar Konare.

Konare stressed that all Africans should work together in accordance with a strong strategy.

He underlined the importance of ending African conflict and military coups, in a reference to what happened recently in Togo.

Konare called for an end to the conflict in Somalia and for more international support to its people.

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