THE UN: Developing nations have urged the United States and other powerful countries to consult them on tackling terrorism and resolving the Middle East conflict.
Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, director-general of South Africa's foreign affairs department, said yesterday the 115-member Non-Aligned Movement was pushing for a more global, multilateral approach.
Ministers from the bloc gathered in Durban to discuss such issues as the US-led fight against terrorism, Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and civil wars in Burundi and Sudan.
"We will discuss practical steps that need to be taken, what pressure can be brought to bear, so that developing countries are not marginalised and their voices are heard in matters that have a global impact," Dr Ntsaluba told reporters.
"The situation in the Middle East and the question of Palestine are of significant concern and delegates will spend a lot of time on these," added an African ambassador based in New York.
The Non-Aligned Movement, formed at the height of the Cold War in 1961 includes countries as diverse as South Africa, Indonesia, Honduras and Yemen.
It has struggled to remain relevant amid changes in world politics and the rise of the US as the sole global superpower.
Diplomats said issues related to what the US calls its "war on terror" were serving to revitalise the movement. They claimed South Africa and other developing nations were furious that, as they saw it, the US and its allies were using the perception of terrorist threats to whip countries into line.
The war on terrorism is increasingly being fought on the movement's doorstep with Yemen and East Africa becoming a focus for US intelligence operations against militants.