E P I S O D I Q U E

"It is Africa's turn to chair the CSD-16 and it is the right of our group to choose whoever they want to choose," he said.

"It's not for the Americans or for the Europeans to decide that you know, Africa, you've made a wrong choice. That view is condescending and unacceptable."

Dan Reifsner of the US State Department says a country which has destroyed much of its own agriculture cannot convincingly be in charge of sustainable development.

It brings the UN into disrepute if a country which has done the very opposite to sustainable development, has policies which are so inimical to economic growth to agricultural development is now going to preside such a commission in the United Nations.