African leaders and diplomats resolved Monday to continue pressing for U.N. Security Council reforms to include two permanent seats with veto power for the continent, AP reported. The statement was issued by 48 African heads of state and officials attending a one-day meeting to decide which position the African Union should take on reforming the United Nation's top decision-making body. «Full recognition of Africa in the Security Council means not less than two permanent seats including veto,» the Africans reiterated in the statement Monday. In full, the African Union proposes a 26-member council, with six new permanent seats and five non-permanent ones. As long as the veto right exists for some, the statement said, «as a matter of common justice, it should made available to all permanent members of the Security Council.» The African Union will form a committee to present a united African position at the U.N. General Assembly, the meeting's final statement said, but did not give details or a timeline. The committee will also be mandated «to present, canvass, advocate and seek support» for the African position with all other regions of the world, the statement said.
