Iceland Loses Bid for UN Council Seat Amid Crisis

[Mesteryo]

Source: Bloomberg

Austria and Turkey were elected to the United Nations Security Council today in a defeat for fellow European contender Iceland, whose financial collapse may have scuttled its quest for a seat.

``We commiserate with Iceland,'' said John Sawers, the UN ambassador for Britain, a permanent council member that is in a dispute with the Icelandic government over the credit crisis. ``They've been going through difficulties lately, and we're sorry they can't join us, but there was only room for two.''


The winning countries will join as temporary members for two-year terms starting in 2009 to fill seats vacated by Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama, and South Africa.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. hold the five permanent seats on the council, with the power to veto measures on international security brought before the body. Five other countries are members through the end of next year: Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aaUmdliYkfY4&refer=home

[CoffeeCat]

1. That's asanine...

Make room for Iceland!

Human beings are real a-holes sometimes.

Iceland needs this right now, and the world needs to help Iceland.

These are supposedly, "world leaders" and yet they act like fifth graders
choosing teams for dodge ball.

[fedsron2us]

5. Dutch and British savers, charities, hospitals and local councils

are owed billions of dollars by the failed Icelandic banks

http://www.radionetherlands.nl/currentaffairs/dutchaffairs/081016-dutch-financial-woes

Unsurprisingly, Iceland is not very popular in some parts of North West Europe at the moment.

Nor have the attempts of the Icelandic Prime Minister to blame everyone but his own government for the disaster helped his country's cause, particularly since it appears that the Icelandic authorities may have been more than a little economic with the truth in the reassurances they gave to various European Central banks. I think he should be concentrating on matters a little closer to home rather than lording it at the UN.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Eliminate the Security Council & change the General Assembly to a directly elected world parliament

That's the only reform that would be meaningful. Anything else is just cosmetic shuffling of the deck.

[WriteDown]

3. So when are we going to get rid of the League of Nations...

Sorry meant the United Nations. Easy mistake to make.

[Glorfindel]

4. Good...as long as they permit whale hunting, they should be shunned

by the UN and by everyone else. If I'm wrong about their current policy, I apologize to Iceland, but I don't think I am.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7409521.stm