UN Security Council Elects Nigeria, 4 Others As Members

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Saudi Arabia
and Chad easily won coveted seats
on the U.N. Security Council
Thursday, despite criticism from
human rights groups. Nigeria,
Lithuania and Chile also won seats.
The five candidates endorsed by
regional groups faced no opposition
after there were no contested races
for the first time in several years.
The countries were elected in the
first round of voting by the 193-
member General Assembly. Lithuania
was the top vote-getter with 187
votes followed by Nigeria and Chile
with 186 votes, Chad with 184 votes
and Saudi Arabia with 176 votes.
Security Council seats are highly
coveted because they give countries
a strong voice in matters dealing
with international peace and
security, in places like Syria, Iran and
North Korea, as well as the U.N.'s
far-flung peacekeeping operations.
The 15-member council includes five
permanent members with veto
power - the U.S., Russia, China,
Britain and France - and 10
nonpermanent members elected for
two-year terms.
The five countries elected Thursday
will assume their posts on Jan. 1 and
serve through the end of 2015. They
will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala,
Morocco, Pakistan and Togo.
Philippe Bolopion, United Nations
director for Human Rights Watch,
denounced the election of Chad,
Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.
"The prestige of a seat at the world's
foremost diplomatic table should
prompt the new members to get
their house in order," he said.
"Chad should put an end to the
recruitment of child soldiers, which
earned it a spot on the U.N. list of
shame," he said. "Saudi Arabia
should end its crackdown on human
rights activists and grant women
their full rights."
Bolopion also criticized Nigeria,
saying it should "end chronic abuse
by security forces and better protect
civilians in the north" from attacks
by the Boko Haram terrorist
network.
Hillel Neuer, executive director of
Geneva-based human rights group
UN Watch, accused Saudi Arabia of
denying women the right to vote,
drive a car or travel without the
permission of a male relative. He
also accused it of "praising and
shielding Sudan" whose president,
Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the
International Criminal Court for war
crimes and crimes against humanity
in Darfur.
Neuer said Chad should not have
oversight on U.N. peacekeeping
operations as long it employs child
soldiers.
Chad, Saudi Arabia and Lithuania
have never served on the U.N.'s
most powerful body while Nigeria
and Chile have both been on the
council four times previously.
Seats in the Security Council are
allocated by region, and regional
groups nominate candidates. There
are often hotly contested races. In
2007, for example, a runoff between
Guatemala and Venezuela went 47
rounds before Panama was finally
elected as the Latin America
candidate.
This year, there were initially two
candidates for a West African seat
but Gambia dropped out last week
in favor of Nigeria.
To win, each country must obtain
support of two-thirds of all General
Assembly members present. Because
balloting is secret, there is intense
lobbying for votes by candidates,
even in uncontested races, to ensure
they get the minimum number
needed for victory - and to see who
gets the highest vote.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/
story/23713049/un-elects-5-new-security-
council-members

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