Azerbaijan wins final UN Security Council vacancy

[News_Editor]

Azerbaijan wins final UN Security Council vacancy

2011-10-25 17:46:28 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- Azerbaijan was announced by the United Nations (UN) on Monday as the winner of the last non-permanent vacancy on the UN Security Council.

Azerbaijan claimed the non-permanent seat, available to only Eastern European countries, during the 17th round of balloting when it scored 155 votes from UN Member States at the General Assembly in New York - well clear of the necessary two-thirds majority of States present and voting. Slovenia received 13 votes and Hungary one vote.

The country will hold the seat in 2012-13 and succeeds Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its victory occurred after Slovenia, which was also a candidate for the same Eastern European seat, withdrew its bid at the end of the 16th round.

A representative of Slovenia told the General Assembly that while his country believes it would be a good fit for the Security Council, it withdrew its candidacy as the will of the Assembly was clear with more votes going to Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan will now become a member of the Security Council for the first time in its history, joining the 15-member body.

On Friday, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo filled the four other non-permanent seats for 2012-13 after being successful in earlier rounds of voting. All non-permanent seats are allocated according to a geographical formula.

The five new members will join Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa, whose terms end on December 31, 2012, and the five permanent Council members which are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-25

[koheesti]

These non-permanent seats seem to be a joke.

However, if the UN is going to continue to exist, I think it's time that Japan and Germany were added to the 5 permanent members. Well, maybe not Germnay. They don't seem willing to contribute anywhere near their weight outside their borders, using the "WWII made people afraid of Germans" line. At least Japan has a constitutional excuse. Still, they are far better candidates than anyone else.