War in Iraq will push Africa to the backburner, says South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma.
Speaking during the Parliamentary debate on the continent’s socio-economic blueprint — Nepad ‒ on Tuesday, Zuma said the continent’s determination to succeed, among other things, necessitated concern about the global security situation, particularly the American-led campaign against Iraq.
“We believe it would reverse all our gains achieved through the Nepad initiative, as it has the potential to push Africa to the backburner in the international arena.
“It is our well-considered view that a war in Iraq will aggravate the misery and poverty in Africa and other parts of the developing world,” Zuma stated.
He said the South African government hoped that the United States (US), which on Tuesday made its intentions known to invade the Gulf nation, and its allies could still find it possible to avert war “even at this eleventh hour, and allow the United Nations to deal with this matter multilaterally”.
Iraq is being accused of harbouring weapons of mass destruction.
US President George Bush gave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein an ultimatum Tuesday to leave the country within 48 hours or face war.
The international community has reacted with mixed feelings to the move. – I-Net Bridge