Kampala, June 26 (IANS) African leaders will next month gather at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Ethiopia to adopt proposals that the continent gets two permanent seats at the UN Security Council.
Alpha Conde, the Guinea President and also Chairperson of the African Union (AU), told reporters here over the weekend that Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma will present the proposals when the heads of state meet on July 3-4, reports Xinhua news agency.
"It's no longer rhetoric. A decision shall be taken and we shall act on it. AU needs two permanent seats in UN Security Council and the number of non-permanent countries increased," Conde said on a two-day state visit to Uganda on Saturday.
In 2005, Africa established a united position on UN reform calling for the inclusion of two permanent and five non-permanent seats for African countries on the UN Security Council and extension of veto powers (should they remain) to new permanent members.
Africa argued that in 1945, when the UN was being formed, most of Africa was not represented and that in 1963, when the first reform took place, Africa was represented but was not in a particularly strong position.
The continent now argues that it should be fully represented in all the decision-making organs of the UN, particularly in the Security Council, the principal decision-making body of the UN in matters relating to international peace and security.
Russia, Britain, China, France and the US are currently the five permanent members of the Security Council with the power to veto resolutions. The other 10 are non-permanent members.
Conde criticized the deployment of UN peace-keeping troops in Africa, noting they have failed to end conflicts, reports Xinhua.
He said Africa was planning to set up its own force to intervene in case of violence or war.
"We don't want foreign intervention in our affairs. All the conflicts in Africa must be solved by Africa. Now we aim to have African troops to respond.
"We need to take issues in our own hands and resolve them by ourselves. We must take destiny into our hands," said Conde
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