LOC18:49
15:49 GMT
NEW YORK, Oct 17 (KUNA) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday
elected Saudi Arabia for the first time to serve on the Security Council as a
non-permanent member for the 2014-2015 term.
It also elected four other non-permanent members - Chad, Nigeria, Chile and
Lithuania - to serve for the same period beginning January 2014 and ending
December 2015.
Saudi Arabia was elected for the Asian Group seat to be vacated by Pakistan
on December 31st of this year, Chad and Nigeria were elected for the two
African Group seats to be vacated by Morocco and Togo; Chile for the Latin
American Group seat to be vacated by Guatemala; and Lithuania for the Eastern
European Group seat to be vacated by Azerbaijan.
While Nigeria and Chile served four times as Council non permanent members
in the past, the other three - Saudi Arabia, Chad and Lithuania - have never
been members of the Security Council.
Saudi Arabia will represent the Arab Group in the Council during the
two-year term. The Group has been represented by Morocco during the 2012-2013
term. There is a gentleman agreement in the Assembly that the Arab Group will
always be represented in the Council, alternately one term by an Arab Asian
country and one term by an Arab North African country.
The five new non permanent members ran uncontested for their respective
regional groups. They were elected by the two-third majority in the Assembly.
Gambia was planning to run against Nigeria for one of the two African seats,
but withdrew its candidature earlier this month, diplomats said.
Saudi Arabia received 176 votes, Chad 184, Nigeria 186, Chile 186, and
Lithuania 187.
The two Western seats are currently filled by Australia and Luxembourg, as
their election comes up every even calendar year.
The newly elected members will join the other five non permanent members
already on the Council: Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and
Rwanda, whose terms end by December 2014. The Assembly elects five new non
permanent members every year.
The Security Council is made of ten non permanent members and five
permanent members - US, UK, France, Russia and China. (end)
sj.ajs
KUNA 171849 Oct 13NNNN