Addis Ababa — In a pledge of continued cooperation between his country and Africa, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called for reforms to the United Nations Security Council to make it more representative of member states.

"We must realise UN Security Council reform without delay so that the African voice is heard more in the Security Council," Koizumi said during his visit to African Union (AU) headquarters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, on Monday. Tokyo has called for six new permanent seats without veto power on the Council - one for Japan, Brazil, Germany and India and two for Africa - as well as four nonpermanent seats. In 2005, Japan submitted a joint proposal with Brazil, Germany and India to enlarge the Council. It failed, however, because the AU demanded Africa be granted veto power. During this visit, Koizumi tried once again to drum up support for the proposed changes.

"Japan wants to enhance its cooperation with African countries in meeting new challenges faced by the entire international community, such as global environmental issues and energy security," Koizumi said.

He pledged that his country would continue to fund efforts by Africans to improve their own lives. "Japan wishes to provide cooperation to Africa so that African countries can stand on their own," he said.

The chairman of the AU commission, Alpha Oumar Konare, thanked Japan for its continued assistance to Africa. "We don't forget the assistance you give to the African Union [...] through our different programmes of peace consolidation, fighting against poverty and lasting development," he said.

During Koizumi's visit to Ethiopia, Japan announced it would provide an additional US$8.7 million to support the AU peacekeeping mission in the troubled western Sudanese region of Darfur, and another $10 million in humanitarian relief to the area.

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]