Saudi Arabia and Chad among 5 countries elected to UN Security Council

[News_Editor]

NEW YORK CITY (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Thursday elected the countries of Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to serve two years as non-permanent members on the UN Security Council, officials said after an election with no contested races.

The 193-member UN General Assembly elected the five countries in one round of secret balloting for rotational seats from January 2014 through December 2015. The newly-elected members will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo, whose terms will conclude on December 31st of this year.

There was little surprise as there were no contested races this year, meaning their election was assured despite human rights groups expressing criticism at abuses by Saudi Arabia and Chad. Gambia had initially put itself forward as a candidate for the West African seat in the Security Council, but it dropped out last week in favor of Nigeria.

It is the first time that Saudi Arabia, Chad, and Lithuania will serve on the UN Security Council, which takes the lead in determining the existence of threats to peace and can resort to imposing sanctions or authorizing the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. UN Members States are obligated to comply with its decisions.

The five permanent Council members, which each wield the power of veto, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Non-permanent members Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Korea and Rwanda will remain on the Council until the end of 2014. All members are required to have a representative present at UN Headquarters in New York at all times.

Rwanda's election last year was controversial as reports claim the Rwandan and Ugandan governments have actively supported a rebel group known as the March 23 Movement (M23). The eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has witnessed increased fighting over the past year between Congolese armed forces and the M23, which is composed of renegade soldiers who mutinied in April 2012.

Rwanda and Uganda have both strongly denied the latest reports. "No matter what haters say [and] do; [always] justice and truth will prevail," Rwandan President Paul Kagame said on his official Twitter account after last year's election, commenting on the UN vote. "Sometimes it just requires a bit of good fight for all that..!!!"

Rwanda previously served on the UN Security Council in 1994-95, which coincided with the Rwandan genocide that began in April 1994. An estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slain over the course of about 100 days, following the deaths of then-Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira. They both died when their plane was brought down as it prepared to land in Kigali.

"The contrast could not be sharper between that previous tenure -- when a genocidal government occupied a prized Security Council seat as its agents waged genocide back home -- and the Rwanda of today: a nation of peace, unity, progress and optimism," Rwandan Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Louise Mushikiwabo said last year, adding that Rwanda's violent past would enable them to offer a unique perspective on matters of war and peace at the UN Security Council.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[Credo]

Some of those countries should lift the prestige of the Security Council.

[marcusd]

The security. Council and most of the UN is a bloody joke.

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[DiamondKing]

Saudi Arabia Let the fox in the chicken house

[siampolee]

One can only but presume that looking at some of the newer members of this august body ( ) one of the qualifications for membership of the U.N. Security Council is the ability to be able to walk under a snake without touching its belly.

[butterlimbo]

Some of those countries should lift the prestige of the Security Council.

That is an easy thing if you consider which countries are among the permanent members and what they have done to secure international peace.

[Scott]

Saudi Arabia declines security council seat. It cites double standards, in particular, the councils unwillingness to take action on Syria's Civil War.

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-declines-security-council-seat-citing-failure-083825816.html

[AbuBacon]

The only security my wooly bearded brothers know is a 15 foot walk to keep the girls in. The UN obviously wants to become even more of a farce than the Nobel Peace guys. Hard, but at this rate entirely possible. Personally I'd like to see Laos and Bhutan run the security council, and maybe Ireland Iceland and Norway. The world would be a better place.

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[RubbaJohnny]

Membership and voting rights should be limited democracies.

The UN has failed in Afghanistan Syria Iraq and bombed civilians during the Bosnian imbroglio.

[Steely Dan]

Saudi Arabia declines security council seat. It cites double standards, in particular, the councils unwillingness to take action on Syria's Civil War.

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-declines-security-council-seat-citing-failure-083825816.html

When you get declined by a Country who executes people for witchcraft your credibility must be at an all time low.

[boomerangutang]

I'm surprised Pakistan was in the picture (part of former group). Condoning 'honor killings' doesn't give anyone, except mullahs and their crazed followers, a warm fuzzy feeling.

[Exsexyman]

It is laughable that that anybody could take seriously any attempt by Saudi Arabia to take the moral high ground on anything.at all. Probably the worst human rights violations in the world. Quite frankly it is astonishing that the Worlds biggest sponsor of terrorism was even offered a place on the UN security council in the first place pretty much sums up the moral vacuum at the heart of the UN. Perhaps the US put their name forward! Perhaps the Saudis were pissed off when they found out that Samantha Powers drove herself to work in the morning! The fact of the matter is that the Saudis are seriously pissed off that the West haven't done what they wanted and bombed Syria and replaced a secular government with a Wahabi regime that will wipe out the Christians and Shias. Saudi Arabia is rotten to the core, the biggest sponsors of the terrorists that the West have been fighting against for the past decade or more. And yet we are supporting them, arming them, bowing and scraping when they come to Buckingham Palace, esteemed guests at Royal Weddings etc! Time for The West to stop sucking the oil teat and show some integrity. Time to show an example and expose these supporters and financial backers of Al Qaeda for what they are. Especially with the anniversary of 9 - 11 coming up. Never forget the nationality of the perpetrators. They weren't Iraqis, they weren't Afghani's, they were Saudis. An inconvenient fact i know, but the truth nonetheless.

[NeverSure]

From the OP:

"UN Members States are obligated to comply with its decisions. The five permanent Council members, which each wield the power of veto, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States."

This is what makes it a joke anyway. When are China, Russia, The UK, France and the US every going to agree to take hard action against anyone? You're always going to get a veto from one of them, so no action is ever taken.

Another way of stating it is that none of its resolutions are binding on any of those countries, nor on anyone else if one of those countries vetoes.

What a bunch of piss ants.

[boomerangutang]

It is laughable that that anybody could take seriously any attempt by Saudi Arabia to take the moral high ground on anything.at all. Probably the worst human rights violations in the world. Quite frankly it is astonishing that the Worlds biggest sponsor of terrorism was even offered a place on the UN security council in the first place pretty much sums up the moral vacuum at the heart of the UN. Perhaps the US put their name forward! Perhaps the Saudis were pissed off when they found out that Samantha Powers drove herself to work in the morning! The fact of the matter is that the Saudis are seriously pissed off that the West haven't done what they wanted and bombed Syria and replaced a secular government with a Wahabi regime that will wipe out the Christians and Shias. Saudi Arabia is rotten to the core, the biggest sponsors of the terrorists that the West have been fighting against for the past decade or more. And yet we are supporting them, arming them, bowing and scraping when they come to Buckingham Palace, esteemed guests at Royal Weddings etc! Time for The West to stop sucking the oil teat and show some integrity. Time to show an example and expose these supporters and financial backers of Al Qaeda for what they are. Especially with the anniversary of 9 - 11 coming up. Never forget the nationality of the perpetrators. They weren't Iraqis, they weren't Afghani's, they were Saudis. An inconvenient fact i know, but the truth nonetheless.

Worse than Pakistan? They've got terrorist gangs going every which way across their borders - to India, Afghanistan, and beyond. I know, it's tough to gauge which is the worst of the worst. Next, we'll have N.Korea chairing the Committee for Human Rights.

[simple1]

It is laughable that that anybody could take seriously any attempt by Saudi Arabia to take the moral high ground on anything.at all. Probably the worst human rights violations in the world. Quite frankly it is astonishing that the Worlds biggest sponsor of terrorism was even offered a place on the UN security council in the first place pretty much sums up the moral vacuum at the heart of the UN. Perhaps the US put their name forward! Perhaps the Saudis were pissed off when they found out that Samantha Powers drove herself to work in the morning! The fact of the matter is that the Saudis are seriously pissed off that the West haven't done what they wanted and bombed Syria and replaced a secular government with a Wahabi regime that will wipe out the Christians and Shias. Saudi Arabia is rotten to the core, the biggest sponsors of the terrorists that the West have been fighting against for the past decade or more. And yet we are supporting them, arming them, bowing and scraping when they come to Buckingham Palace, esteemed guests at Royal Weddings etc! Time for The West to stop sucking the oil teat and show some integrity. Time to show an example and expose these supporters and financial backers of Al Qaeda for what they are. Especially with the anniversary of 9 - 11 coming up. Never forget the nationality of the perpetrators. They weren't Iraqis, they weren't Afghani's, they were Saudis. An inconvenient fact i know, but the truth nonetheless.

Worse than Pakistan? They've got terrorist gangs going every which way across their borders - to India, Afghanistan, and beyond. I know, it's tough to gauge which is the worst of the worst. Next, we'll have N.Korea chairing the Committee for Human Rights.

Very true, yet at the same time the Pakistani government, at the request of the Afghan government, has released some of the top Taliban leadership and from other terrorist organisations, in an attempt to facilitate political peace negotiations; see URL below. Don't believe ISAF is very happy with this approach as it is alleged some of those released have been targeted in drone attacks.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/sep/21/world/la-fg-afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-20130922

During 2013 there have been a number of UN resolutions passed including for the M.E. & Afghanistan. What is also interesting is the UN members military & police peace keeping contribution by country. Note the difference in contribution between first tier Western democracies & other countries.

http://www.un.org/en/sc/documents/resolutions/2013.shtml

http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/contributors/2013/sep13_1.pdf

[Chicog]

It is laughable that that anybody could take seriously any attempt by Saudi Arabia to take the moral high ground on anything.at all. Probably the worst human rights violations in the world. Quite frankly it is astonishing that the Worlds biggest sponsor of terrorism was even offered a place on the UN security council in the first place pretty much sums up the moral vacuum at the heart of the UN. Perhaps the US put their name forward! Perhaps the Saudis were pissed off when they found out that Samantha Powers drove herself to work in the morning! The fact of the matter is that the Saudis are seriously pissed off that the West haven't done what they wanted and bombed Syria and replaced a secular government with a Wahabi regime that will wipe out the Christians and Shias. Saudi Arabia is rotten to the core, the biggest sponsors of the terrorists that the West have been fighting against for the past decade or more. And yet we are supporting them, arming them, bowing and scraping when they come to Buckingham Palace, esteemed guests at Royal Weddings etc! Time for The West to stop sucking the oil teat and show some integrity. Time to show an example and expose these supporters and financial backers of Al Qaeda for what they are. Especially with the anniversary of 9 - 11 coming up. Never forget the nationality of the perpetrators. They weren't Iraqis, they weren't Afghani's, they were Saudis. An inconvenient fact i know, but the truth nonetheless.

Worse than Pakistan? They've got terrorist gangs going every which way across their borders - to India, Afghanistan, and beyond. I know, it's tough to gauge which is the worst of the worst. Next, we'll have N.Korea chairing the Committee for Human Rights.

Why are you ignoring Iran? They've been sending Hizbollah bombers around the globe for decades. Surely they deserve a shot at the title?

[RubbaJohnny]

Boxwallas blame dimpled Camels

[Loptr]

Saudi Arabia declines security council seat. It cites double standards, in particular, the councils unwillingness to take action on Syria's Civil War.

http://news.yahoo.com/saudi-arabia-declines-security-council-seat-citing-failure-083825816.html

More like throwing their toys from the pram when the US did not follow their wishes by invading Syria and then Iran. Bandar Bush is none to happy about the fact that the US isn't playing nice anymore and Putin told him in no uncertain terms to take a hike.

[Steely Dan]

Just when you think it can't get any worse for UN credibility it does; Pakistan praises Saudi Arabia for 'protecting women's rights'.

http://frontpagemag.com/2013/dgreenfield/at-un-pakistan-praises-saudi-arabia-for-protecting-womens-rights/

And it’s that punchline to the joke that the UN protects human rights that is the UN Human Rights Council, which is always ready to condemn human rights abusers like Canada, Australia and America… but has a kind word for defenders of human rights like China, Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Today’s United Nations punchline has been brought to you by billions of your tax dollars. It’s your money. You deserve a good laugh.