Mugabe presses for UN reform, hands over AU chairmanship
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
January 30, 2016 (ADDIS ABABA) – Out going chairperson of the African Union (AU) and Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe on Saturday called for the reform of the United Nations Security Council.
He said Africa must take a common position in the efforts to amend the UN Security Council to end a political domination by the five permanent members of the UN body namely US, Russia, China, England, and France.
The 91 year-old, Zimbabwean leader has been against a UN security council dominated by former colonialists and he has been at the forefront in the fight for reforms in order Africa to have greater representation in the most powerful UN organ.
In his speech Mugabe said Africa can’t continue without a fair representation in the UN council and demanded African leaders to collectively support the position so as the voice of the continent is heard.
The continent’s oldest leader said the calls for reform of the charter of the UN hasn’t yet brought any positive outcome and blamed UN top officials of being a setback.
“At the general assembly we make speeches, we go back home year-in and Year-out but the bosses in the Un security Council say you shall never have the powers that we had as permanent members” said Mugabe receiving lots of big applause moments.
“If the United Nations should survive, we must all be equal members of it,” he further said.
Mugabe called on UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon to work toward reforming the UN so that it proofs to be a global body where all member states equally enjoy it.
CHAD’S DEBY NEW AU CHAIR
Mean while President Idris Deby of Chad on Saturday took over the chairmanship of the AU replacing President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe at the African summit in AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
In his acceptance speech Deby said “I accept this task with pleasure, but with a little agony as the responsibility you entrust in me is heavy and fraught with challenges”
Deby, 63 called on African leaders to end ongoing conflicts across the continent.
“Everything that we are doing now will be in vain and without purpose if we allow Africa to go through these perpetual crises: South Sudan, Libya, Somalia, Burundi, the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin,” he said.
“Through diplomacy or by force according to the nature and magnitude and scope of the crises we must put an end to these tragedies of our time”.
“We cannot make progress and talk of development if part of our body is sick. We should be the main actors in the search for solution to Africa’s crises”.
He said African leaders must be in the main actors in the search for solutions to African crises and they have to organize themselves to collectively defend African interests.
The one-year AU chairmanship rotates between different regions of the continent.
GRIP TO POWER IN AFRICA
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon today urged African leaders to end undemocratic constitutional changes to “cling to power”.
He said leaders must leave office when their term limit ends.
“Leaders should never use undemocratic constitutional changes and legal loopholes to cling to power. We have all seen the tragic consequences when they do” Ban told gathered African leaders including decades long serving African presidents such as Mugabe and Sudan’s Bashir among others.
“Do we allow that group to continue … to harass us even in our independent countries” Mugabe asked after Ban had spoken.
(ST)