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NEW DELHI: African nations need more time to debate the expansion of the United Nations Security Council, Alpha Oumar Konare, Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, said at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on Wednesday.

Prof. Konare, who strongly favoured the idea of a "United States of Africa," said African nations had no problems with the candidature of the G-4 nations (India, Brazil, Japan and Germany) for a permanent seat on the Security Council.

The problem was within Africa and who would represent Africa. On his part, Prof. Konare came out with the idea of a permanent seat being allotted to the 53-member African Union.

Calling for coordination on the issue of expansion (which is currently a dead issue on the international horizon), the A.U. Chairperson advocated a "step-by-step" approach as a way out of the impasse.

Speaking on the theme of "Africa, India and China: Yesterday to Tomorrow," Prof. Konare, a former President of Mali, called for a "global partnership" between the three entities.

Africa, he stated, could cooperate with both India and China — these entities should form a long-term partnership, which would help in solving the problems faced by African nations.

Admitting that Africa evoked negative images given the misery and poverty on the continent, the A.U. Chairperson, however, cited some positive developments in Mozambique, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which recently conducted elections.

According to him, all 53 members of the A.U. needed to evolve a common development strategy and Africa needed to speak with one voice.

Criticising the "international community" for not keeping its promises to Africa to help meet the millennium development goals, Prof. Konare pointed out that the United States would be spending a massive $110 billion next year in Iraq.

"If we [in Africa] get $50 billion a year, we can solve our problems in the next seven to 10 years," the A.U. Chairperson stated. Africa, he stated, was "ready" to solve its problems and could not afford to wait.

`External intervention'

Giving a detailed account of what was happening in Darfur (Sudan), Prof. Konare warned that if the Darfur situation got linked to the raging problems in West Asia, then a grave crisis would engulf the world.

Pointing out that "external intervention" was a major problem in Darfur, he said that after American failures in Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington was now looking to creating some "success" in Darfur.

Prof. Konare said that a political agreement to resolve the Darfur issue had been signed in Abuja (Nigeria), but rebels had resumed attacks, to which the Sudanese Government responded with force.

As of now, 7,000 A.U. soldiers were in Darfur, since Sudan had a problem with the deployment of United Nations troops.

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