UN reforms expected to dominate African Union summit

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From Itai Musengeyi in Abuja (Nigeria)

THE reform of the United Nations is expected to dominate
debate today when African leaders begin a two-day African
Union summit to discuss security matters, the structures of
the AU, conflicts affecting the continent, foreign aid for
development, food security and health issues, among other
topics.

Delegates attending preparatory meetings held by AU foreign
ministers said the reform of the UN, which Zimbabwe and other
Third World countries have been calling for, would top the
agenda of the summit.

Debate on the reform is expected to centre around the Harare
Declaration adopted at the Heads of State Summit of the
Organisation of African Unity, which agreed on two
suggestions of ensuring greater representation of developing
countries in UN bodies such as the Security Council.

The first suggestion was for the Security Council to have six
new permanent members and three non-permanent members while
the second option was to have eight new seats but held for
four years and renewable with nine non-permanent members.

According to the delegates, some African countries are
understood to be agreeable to the suggestion for the
continent to be given some seats on the Security Council,
even without veto power, while others insist that those
African countries that get into the crucial UN organ should
also be accorded veto power, which the Western powers enjoy.

Western powers are also suggesting a permanent seat for every
region in the world with Japan and Germany included.

"Already there is jockeying among Third World countries to
get into the Security Council with some African countries
saying if you cannot fly first class (getting a Security
Council seat with veto power) then you can at least fly
business class (getting a seat without veto power," said the
officials.

Zimbabwe is proposing a reform of the UN in its entirety
beginning with the General Assembly and other organs such as
the International Court of Justice so that there is equality
of all sovereign countries in the world, which upholds the
principle of democracy.

Harare is of the view that the restructuring of the UN must
start with the abolition of the system of permanent
membership of the Security Council and abolishment of the
veto power because it concentrates power in a few countries.

Sources also said Zimbabwe was against the idea of Western
powers getting preferential treatment on the basis of the
argument that they are the founders of the world body.

The sources said Zimbabwe felt the founders of the world body
were already being rewarded by the fact that history had
recorded their contribution to the formation of the world
body.

The UN now needed to be reformed because of the changes that
have taken place since it was formed in the aftermath of the
Second World War.

A considerable number of developing countries are said to be
supporting Zimbabwe’s proposals on the reform of the UN.

Other issues to be discussed at the summit include
suggestions by some African countries to structure the AU in
such way that the chairman of the AU Commission becomes
President with Ministers of Defence, Transport, Foreign
Affairs and Trade, borrowing from the European Union
structure.

But other AU members are opposed to this idea because the
body, which is three years old, has just been born and should
not rush to be at par with the EU.

The foreign ministers’ meeting noted a critical report of the
African Commission on Human and People’s Rights on the human
rights situation in Zimbabwe but said it should be published
with Harare’s response.

The report which generated a lot of interest at the last AU
Heads of State summit in Ethiopia last year was put on hold
until Zimbabwe had been given an opportunity to respond.

Some British government officials had come for the Abuja
summit hoping debate would be opened on the report and
present an opportunity for the condemnation of Zimbabwe.

However, the AU Foreign Ministers just noted the report and
said it should be published with Zimbabwe’s response.
Zimbabwe has since dismissed the claims in the report as
unfounded.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Cde Stan Mudenge attended the
Foreign Ministers’ meeting.

President Mugabe, who arrived here on Friday, will join other
AU leaders at the summit today.

Yesterday, Cde Mugabe met a special envoy of President
Musharaf of Pakistan.

Speaking to Zimbabwean journalists after the meeting, the
special envoy Mr Javid Husain said they discussed the
proposed reform of the UN and bilateral relations between
Zimbabwe and Pakistan. He would not elaborate on the finer
details of the discussions.