UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said Saturday the U.N. Security Council needs permanent representation from Africa.
In a speech to the United Nations' General Assembly in New York, she said the council must be "truly representative of the membership and effectively responsive to international crises as mandated by the charter of the U.N."
The council has five permanent members, the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China, a legacy of the World War II alliance. Those countries can also veto any action by the council.
The 10 rotating members are elected by the General Assembly to two-year terms. Three African countries, Gabon, Nigeria and Uganda, now sit on the council.
King Mswati III of Swaziland also addressed the General Assembly, backing the Ezulwini Consensus. The consensus, agreed to in a meeting in Ezulwini, Swaziland, in 2005, calls for an expanded Security Council with two permanent and five non-permanent seats allotted to African countries.
