http://innercitypress.com/sa1scaueritrea120111.html
S. Africa Disputes Any Link of Zuma's Run to Head AU with Eritrea Sanctions
By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive
UNITED NATIONS, December 1 -- Whether Jean Ping will get a second term
as head of the African Union or be replaced by for example South
African minister Nkosozana Dlamini Zuma is a contest that was raised
and then rebutted as part of the UN Security Council controversy over
how and when to impose more sanctions on Eritrea.
On November 30 while in the Security Council's closed door
consultations Gabon's request, pushed by the US, to vote that day on
the new sanctions ran into opposition, outside a representative of one
of Eritrea's neighbors came and told Inner City Press "South Africa is
pressuring us to vote" for Ms. Zuma, former SA Foreign Minister &
current SA Home Affairs Minister, and "now it's just sour grapes on
their part. They need to decide if they are with the BRICS or with
Africa."
Inner City Press published the quote, adding its opinion that it's
not either / or, AU or BRICS.
On December 1, South Africa's Doctor Mashabane came to Inner City
Press and responded, on the record. He argued, "saying we are forcing
them to vote for Madame Zuma. It's not true. [She was Foreign Minister
for] 10 years, she is respected across the Continent. There's never
been a woman chair of the organization. We are not forcing anybody, it
has nothing to do with the Security Council."
Eritrea's neighbor's pitch had been that South Africa was taking its
positions in the Security Council either to promote Ms. Zuma, or as
"sour grapes" against countries which support Jean Ping. Then there
was the dig that South Africa should choose between the AU and BRICS.
Mashabane told Inner City Press, "the issue of South African and
BRICS is neither here not there, anyone can join BRICS, make a case.
Nobody can make us choose, we are Africans. The whole year we have
been in the Council, we have been the champion on African issues, I
think all 14 members can agree."
The Council fight on November 30, to be continued in public on
Monday, December 5 is about new sanctions on Eritrea. Mashabane told
Inner City Press, "This issue on Eritrea is an issue on an African
country, there is no BRICS position. If it happens with other members,
because share values with us, we can't tell them not to join us."
Mashabane downplayed what some saw, especially November 30, as a
split between Gabon and South Africa, occasioned by the US and
Ambassador Susan Rice.
Mashabane told Inner City Press, "we have worked with Gabon and
Nigeria, we have been saying we must have it balanced, concerned about
blanket sanctions effecting the innocent people of Eritrea. Our point
is, this initiative is at the insistence of the West... You can't have
sweeping sanctions to bring down an economy, in this case of an
African country."
(c) UN Photo
Doctor Mashabane in UNSC, AU & Western on the record responses not shown
Earlier on December 1, Brazilian Permanent Representative Maria
Luiza Ribeiro Viotti told Inner City Press that Brazil too has
concerns about these sanctions and prefers the "political" track.
Mashabane referred to these similarity of views, telling Inner City
Press that "anyone can approach the BRIC members and lobby them for
their resolution."
And as Inner City Press late on December 1 was finishing this,
representatives not only of Gabon and South Africa, but also Russia
and China, came out of the Security Council, still working on the
Eritrea draft.
Inner City Press has sought authorization to use as similar on the
record quotes things said about the proposed sanctions by certain
Western Council members, for now lacking in South Africa's, Brazil's
and even BRICS' transparency. Watch this site.
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Received on Thu Dec 01 2011 - 23:01:04 EST