Iran seeks a UN Security Council seat

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:46:13 GMT President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran seeks a non-permanent UN Security Council membership to make sure of the body's legitimacy. In a Thursday press conference, President Ahmadinejad accused certain countries of exploiting the council to advance their own agendas. "The reality is that this is not the Security Council of 'the United Nations'. This is the Security Council of 'some nations'," he expounded. With the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 16, Iran began its quest to gain the support of other Muslim states and its anti-American allies in the Non-Aligned Movement to win a Security Council seat. The seat, currently held by Indonesia, is reserved for an Asian nation and becomes vacant in January. The slot is also sought by Japan. The General Assembly is in charge of electing non-permanent members for two-year terms. While council decisions are made by an affirmative vote of at least nine of the 15 members, the five permanent members (Britain, China, France, Russia and the US) of the council can 'veto' any decision. When asked about Iran's intentions of seeking a non-permanent seat in the council, President Ahmadinejad said he wants to give certain permanent members another chance to make right their acts in the council. "We want to see if these (certain) nations are prepared to deal with an opposition in the council," Ahmadinejad added.  In a Foreign Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in July, President Ahmadinejad had questioned the legitimacy of the Security Council. "Can the UNSC adopt a resolution against the US?" he asked rhetorically.  "When the root of most problems in the world traces back to the White House, it is a waste of time to expect this body (the UNSC) to be the solution to any crisis," he added.  According to President Ahmadinejad, historical records show that conflicts provoked by certain permanent UNSC members did not end in justice and the aggressors were never punished for their actions. The Security Council granted Washington the authority of military intervention in Iraq only after the US violated the sovereignty of the oil-rich country in the Middle East in 2003. This is while the then UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan, told BBC in September 2004 that, "From our point of view and from the Charter point of view (the war) was illegal." MD/AA, original source PressTV