Cletus Mushanawani in New Delhi, India
President Mugabe today said Africa and India should not accept being treated as dwarfs by the United Nations.
In his keynote address as the co-chairman of the third India-Africa Forum Summit held at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, which was converted into a makeshift convention centre, President Mugabe said the United Nations created a system where other countries were recognised as giants, while others were treated as dwarfs.
“Has the United Nations really united us?” he said. “Yes, it has brought us together in a kind of form where others are giants and others are dwarfs.
“We were made dwarfs at the United Nations, but why should we accept that? We have India and us who are geographical twins and together we constitute the third of the world population, but somehow the third of the world population is treated as a little kid and we say no.
“The third of the world population must be respected. It is our right to be treated equally and with respect. That is why we say let us amend the United Nations Charter to have equal nations, as we are not equal now.”
President Mugabe said Africa had agreed to have two permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council with veto power and was also backing India in its quest to have a permanent seat.
Details to follow….