The UN General Assembly elected Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa on Friday to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two years starting in January. All but three of the 193 UN member states cast paper ballots. Germany and the Dominican Republic each obtained 184 votes. South Africa got 183 votes, Belgium 181 and 144 went to Indonesia. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas -- who was present for the vote -- said his country wanted to be a "strong voice for peace in the Security Council." "But above all, we want a multilateral world order for the future, based on the rules that we have worked on tirelessly for decades, especially here at the United Nations," Maas added. The Belgian government said it was joining the council at a "pivotal moment." "It's a period when multilateralism no longer seems obvious to all, with some even questioning it, even as the planet is confronted with multiple global challenges, including climate change, … [Read more...] about Germany, South Africa, Indonesia to join UN Security Council in 2019
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UN Security Council picks 5 new members
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday was choosing five new non-permanent members of the Security Council, with Belgium, Germany and South Africa among those on the list. In order to win a two-year mandate beginning in January, each candidate country needs to secure two thirds of the votes of nations casting their paper ballots from 10:00 am (1400 GMT). While there are 193 UN member states, "a few guys will have forgotten there's an election and won't be there," a diplomat quipped. There are 15 members on the UN Security Council, including the five permanent ones -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members, half of which are elected each year. Just before taking up their duties, the elected states get intense training about Security Council protocol and customs. During their mandate, the ambassadors will each preside over the council for a month. Friday's election of five new members from regional groups is not expected to lead to … [Read more...] about UN Security Council picks 5 new members
Russia Takes Skripal Poisoning Case Before UN Security Council
Russia takes its case before the UN Security Council on April 5, calling for an international investigation into the poisoning of a Russian spy in Britain one day after losing a bid for a joint investigation by the global chemical weapons watchdog. London has said it is "highly likely" Moscow was behind the March 4 attack with a military-grade nerve agent on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, but Russia has insisted it is innocent and is taking its case before world bodies. Both sides have already suspended high-level contacts, and more than two dozen Western countries have joined Britain in expelling over 150 diplomats in retaliation for the poisonings, with Russia responding in kind. British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson welcomed Russia's defeat April 4 in its bid to establish a joint investigation of the incident with Britain, which was turned down on a 15-6 vote at a meeting of the decision-making body of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical … [Read more...] about Russia Takes Skripal Poisoning Case Before UN Security Council
Russia wants United Nations Security Council to discuss spy poisoning
News / UK and world by Press Association April 5, 2018, 7:11 am FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Sign up to our Daily newsletter Russia has called for the United Nations Security Council to meet on Thursday to discuss the Salisbury attack after it lost a bid to stage a joint investigation with the UK into the poisoning. Boris Johnson has attacked Moscow for trying to “obscure the truth and confuse the public” about the nerve-agent assault on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Russia called a meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on Wednesday to insist its experts must be involved in the testing programme and probe. But it lost the vote after Britain told the extraordinary meeting the demand was a sign the federation was “nervous” of what the inquiries will find. Moscow has asked for an open session of the UN Security Council to be held on Thursday at 8pm UK time. UK … [Read more...] about Russia wants United Nations Security Council to discuss spy poisoning
Russia seeks to discredit UK with special meeting of UN security council
An emboldened Russia will on Thursday attempt to discredit Britain’s international reputation at the UN after a series of blunders by Boris Johnson and the Foreign Office led to accusations that the UK had overstated its case that Russia was responsible for the nerve agent attack on the former spy Sergei Skripal. Although the carefully crafted international alliance in support of the UK has held together despite Russian pressure, ministers were forced to backtrack from a claim by the foreign secretary that the UK’s chemical weapons watchdog had told him Russia was definitely responsible for the attack. In a statement on Tuesday the chief executive of the government chemical weapons experts at Porton Down said its tests had shown the sample was of a military-grade nerve agent from the novichok family, but it was not possible to say whether it was of Russian origin. The Foreign Office, under pressure from the Russian embassy in London, also admitted it had earlier deleted a … [Read more...] about Russia seeks to discredit UK with special meeting of UN security council