Africans Demand Permanent Seats on UN Security Council

(Syrte, Libya) The African Union (AU) Summit opened yesterday in the coastal city of Syrte. Before the day was over, a resolution was passed to demand that two permanent UN Security Council seats be allocated to AU countries.

From The Courier-Mail:

The final text of the declaration and the resolution has not yet been made public, but according to a draft resolution obtained by AFP, the African states intended to call for the allocation of "two permanent seats with full privileges including veto rights ... and five non-permanent seats on the Security Council." Eight countries have officially declared themselves candidates for the two Security Council seats that Africa may or may not get in the framework of a broader reform of the UN.

The Syrte meeting is expected to steer clear of the thorny issue of who fills the two potential African seats for fear of igniting regional rivalries.

Somewhat predictably, the demand by the African Union for UN Security Council seats marches on the heels of last week's similar demand by the Organization of Islamic Conference.

So, the situation appears to be that the African Union, through initiatives at the G-8 Summit in Scotland, favors not having to pay any of their bills while, at the same time, it wants two seats on the UN Security Council to help determine who should get loans. That would be consistent with the way the UN has been operating.

And, consistent with the cliche that there is no honor among thieves, the African Union is reluctant to reveal the names of countries being considered until they can work out a scheme where everybody is promised enough goodies not to complain. It's business as usual.

Companion post at In The Bullpen.