UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Africa presented its proposal for expanding the U.N. Security Council, saying it's time to give a voice to billions of people in the developing world and end the historic injustice that left the continent without a permanent seat on the U.N.'s most powerful body.
It was the second expansion plan introduced in a week. The four countries behind the first one - Brazil, Germany, India and Japan - said Sunday they currently don't have enough support to seek a vote. A third group, Uniting for Consensus, hasn't presented a resolution but has significant backing.
There is widespread support for enlarging the Security Council to reflect the world in the 21st century rather than global power after World War II when the United Nations was formed. But previous attempts have failed because of national and regional rivalries.
Looming over the debate is opposition from the United States and China, who say the time isn't right for council reform because the disagreements among nations are too great.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, 10 elected for two-year terms to represent different regions and five permanent members with veto power - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Washington and Beijing can't block an initial resolution, but council expansion ultimately requires a change to the U.N. Charter, action that needs approval from all five permanent members. In addition an expansion must have support from at least two-thirds, or 128, of the 191 member nations.
Nigeria, which currently heads the 53-nation African Union, formally introduced the African resolution at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday.
``Africa considers that now is the time most opportune to take a decision on this matter on which there have been several debates over the years,'' said Nigeria's U.N. Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited world leaders to a summit in September to reform the United Nations and take action on U.N. development goals.
Wali said the summit offers the world's nations ``an invaluable opportunity to rekindle hopes of mankind and confidence in the United Nations.'' Agreeing on Security Council expansion would convince U.N. critics ``that the member states can rise above narrow interest and embrace the larger interests of the international community,'' he said.
The African proposal would expand the council to 26 members, adding six permanent seats with veto power and five non-permanent seats. Africa would get two permanent seats - with South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt the frontrunners - and two non-permanent seats.
The Group of Four's proposal would expand the council to 25 seats, adding six permanent seats but without veto power. Brazil, Germany, India and Japan hope to get four of the permanent seats with the other two for Africa.
The two sides said they would negotiate over the next week and then meet again in Geneva on July 25.
Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said Africa would like to see the elimination of the veto for all permanent members, but until that happens it will insist on the same veto rights as the five current permanent members.
South African envoy Xolisa Mabhongo said member nations have an unprecedented opportunity to make the Security Council more representative and responsive.
``We believe that this is the time to begin redressing historical injustices in global governance and to give a voice to the billions of people in the developing world who are now excluded from the decision-making processes in the Security Council,'' Mabhongo said.
Source
It was the second expansion plan introduced in a week. The four countries behind the first one - Brazil, Germany, India and Japan - said Sunday they currently don't have enough support to seek a vote. A third group, Uniting for Consensus, hasn't presented a resolution but has significant backing.
There is widespread support for enlarging the Security Council to reflect the world in the 21st century rather than global power after World War II when the United Nations was formed. But previous attempts have failed because of national and regional rivalries.
Looming over the debate is opposition from the United States and China, who say the time isn't right for council reform because the disagreements among nations are too great.
The Security Council currently has 15 members, 10 elected for two-year terms to represent different regions and five permanent members with veto power - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Washington and Beijing can't block an initial resolution, but council expansion ultimately requires a change to the U.N. Charter, action that needs approval from all five permanent members. In addition an expansion must have support from at least two-thirds, or 128, of the 191 member nations.
Nigeria, which currently heads the 53-nation African Union, formally introduced the African resolution at a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Monday.
``Africa considers that now is the time most opportune to take a decision on this matter on which there have been several debates over the years,'' said Nigeria's U.N. Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has invited world leaders to a summit in September to reform the United Nations and take action on U.N. development goals.
Wali said the summit offers the world's nations ``an invaluable opportunity to rekindle hopes of mankind and confidence in the United Nations.'' Agreeing on Security Council expansion would convince U.N. critics ``that the member states can rise above narrow interest and embrace the larger interests of the international community,'' he said.
The African proposal would expand the council to 26 members, adding six permanent seats with veto power and five non-permanent seats. Africa would get two permanent seats - with South Africa, Nigeria and Egypt the frontrunners - and two non-permanent seats.
The Group of Four's proposal would expand the council to 25 seats, adding six permanent seats but without veto power. Brazil, Germany, India and Japan hope to get four of the permanent seats with the other two for Africa.
The two sides said they would negotiate over the next week and then meet again in Geneva on July 25.
Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz said Africa would like to see the elimination of the veto for all permanent members, but until that happens it will insist on the same veto rights as the five current permanent members.
South African envoy Xolisa Mabhongo said member nations have an unprecedented opportunity to make the Security Council more representative and responsive.
``We believe that this is the time to begin redressing historical injustices in global governance and to give a voice to the billions of people in the developing world who are now excluded from the decision-making processes in the Security Council,'' Mabhongo said.
Source