May 31, 2010
The French president has said Africa should be represented on the UN Security Council, promising to back changes when France leads the G8 and G20 groups of big economies next year. Speaking on Monday at the launch of the 25th Africa-France summit in the French city of Nice, Nicolas Sarkozy said it was time for the world to make a place for Africa on the global stage to discuss international crises and overhaul. "I am convinced that we can't talk about big global questions without Africa any longer," Sarkozy told about 800 delegates from 40 African states. He said it was "not normal" that no African country had a permanent seat on the Security Council.
African nations have been asking for two rotating permanent seats with veto power as well as more non-permanent seats since 2005, given the continent has about 27 per cent of members at the UN, its size and the involvement of global powers on its territory. France is pushing for a change proposed previously with the UK whereby non-permanent membership on the Security Council would be raised to 10 years instead of two now, without the right of veto, a French diplomatic source said. China, the US, Russia, Britain and France are the permanent members of the Security Council. Nigeria, Gabon and Uganda are among 10 members that hold rotating seats.
'Summit of renewal'
The Nice gathering has been touted as a "summit of renewal" and Sarkozy stressed that France needed to look to the future instead of "perpetuating the illusion of an outdated role". This Africa-France summit is Sarkozy's first since taking office in 2007 and reflects France's shift away from its traditional West African allies towards engagement with the continent as a whole. France is seeking to use the two-day gathering as a springboard for business deals. "Africa is our future and will be a principle reservoir for world economic growth in the decades to come," Sarkozy said.
Alain Joyandet, France's development minister, said it would be "the summit of renewal, a sort of launch of a new era". Breaking away from tradition, France has invited nearly 200 business leaders from France and Africa to this year's summit including heads of big French companies such as energy giant Total and nuclear firm Areva.
The push on the economic front comes as France has taken a back seat to China, Africa's biggest trade partner, which has injected billions over the past decade to tap into raw materials needed to fuel its hungry economy.
