JZ admits AU is sluggish at times

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has acknowledged that the African Union (AU) has been sluggish at times in making decisions about conflict resolution on the continent and that it needs to be more efficient.

He pointed out, however, that while that was true, the AU was sometimes slow to act because some of its member countries' decision-making processes were still influenced by more powerful countries outside of Africa.

Speaking on the sidelines of a debate he chaired at the United Nations Security Council aimed at bolstering relations between the UN and regional bodies, particularly the AU, Zuma said: "Interference in Africa in different ways still causes problems ... and that contributes in the hesitance of the countries to take whatever decisions are needed by the AU to function."

Zuma was responding to a comment by Susan Rice, the US permanent representative to the UN, who, while urging the Security Council to seize the opportunity to define relations with the AU, said the UN needed a strong AU, and the AU needed a strong UN. "AU member states have sometimes indicated that they feel ignored or disregarded by this council. At the same time, some Security Council members feel AU member states have not always provided unified or consistent views on key issues and that the AU has on occasion been slow to act on urgent matters," said Rice on Thursday.

Earlier, Zuma had drawn his sword to the AU's plans for conflict resolution in Libya which he said was "completely ignored in favour of bombing Libya by Nato forces".

He said while the UN had the responsibility to maintain peace and stability globally, ignoring their views was a mistake.

Following the debate, the Security Council's 15 members unanimously adopted Resolution 2033 to strengthen cooperation between the UN and the AU.

SA holds the council's rotating presidency for this month.