On The Foreign Scene
The foreign ministers of France and Germany have voiced support for Africa to receive two permanent seats on the powerful U.N. Security Council.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she and French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna added their support to an African push for permanent seats on the Security Council.
Baerbock spoke after she and Colonna met with African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
For years, African leaders have called for a permanent seat on the powerful U.N. body.
Outgoing African Union Chairman Macky Sall, also the president of Senegal, reiterated that demand at the September U.N. General Assembly.
He said Africa should also have a seat in the G-20 group of the world’s largest economies.
Last month, U.S. President Joe Biden backed both efforts at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington .
Currently, the Security Council has five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. Other countries are elected to the Council for two-year terms by the U.N. General Assembly.
Having permanent seats on the Security Council would for the first time give African countries veto power over U.N. resolutions.
