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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran seeks seat on Security Council |
| 2008-07-09 |
| Tehran will seek a seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council next year, despite the trade sanctions the body has imposed to slow Iran's nuclear program. "It is our right, we have not been on the council in 50 years, and we are trying our best," an official from the Iranian Mission told The Washington Times on Tuesday. The official, who Asian diplomats confirmed Tuesday that Iran has sought the group's approval to run for the council seat, which currently is filled by Indonesia and is reserved for an Asian country. Regional blocs often agree in advance which country will get a seat. A second Iranian diplomat, Mohammad Mohammadi, the mission's press attache, also confirmed Tehran's desire for a seat on the council. The Iranian delegate said the overlapping memberships of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Nonaligned Movement and the Arab Group have given their support "in general." "One should follow Security Council resolutions before they launch a bid to be on the Security Council," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. The Iranian delegate shrugged off the resistance, saying no U.N. rules are in place to stop the country's bid for a two-year term. "We consider the council's sanctions illegitimate, anyway," he said with a smile. Regional blocs at the United Nations will send five new members to the council in January, each to be approved in October by a two-thirds vote of the 192-member General Assembly. However, countries often agree in advance to field only one candidate from a bloc, making the election automatic. At present, the only country besides Iran that has expressed an interest in seeking the seat reserved for Asia is Japan, which is the largest individual contributor to the United Nations after the United States and has been re-elected to the council regularly, most recently for the 2005-06 term. Iran, a founding member of the United Nations, has not held a council seat since the 1955-56 term. Vietnam currently fills a second Asian seat and presides over the council for the month of July. Vietnam's council term expires in December 2009. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #4 In it's current state, I don't see where it would make any difference one way or the other. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-07-09 20:58 |
| #3 Give them our seat and boot the UN out of the US. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2008-07-09 16:34 |
| #2 Let Iran on. Hell, let them all on and the security council will become nothing. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-07-09 16:29 |
| #1 "One should follow Security Council resolutions before they launch a bid to be on the Security Council," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. The Iranian delegate shrugged off the resistance, saying no U.N. rules are in place to stop the country's bid for a two-year term."We consider the council's sanctions illegitimate, anyway," he said with a smile. They sound like a perfect candidate to me... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-07-09 16:08 |