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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