Canada wins seat on UN Security Council
Oliver Martin

Earlier this month, Canada ended its long campaign for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The race to secure a two year term on the prestigious decision making body started early in 1997. Three countries entered into the race, Canada, the Netherlands and Greece. These three were competing for two positions in the catch-all group of countries know as Europe and Others. Campaigning involved a considerable amount of diplomatic discussions, meetings and entertainment events.

During the campaign which kicked off in May, the Canadian delegation to the UN devoted much of its efforts to the cause. Among other things, Canadian diplomats worked corridors and meeting rooms at the UN headquarters, as well as offering tickets in New York to Canada's Cirque du Soleil.

The Dutch delegation also spent money on entertainment, but were much more frugal than Canada. Greece on the other hand, had a considerably different campaign style. Theirs was considered low key by many UN diplomats until July when they played host to scores of UN diplomats on a cruise through the Aegean Islands.

Voting for the two seats took place on October 9th with countries being declared the winner if they secured two-thirds of the votes cast. Not all nations belonging to the General Assembly had the opportunity to vote. In a press statement two days before the vote, General Assembly spokeswoman Jadranka Mihalic said that of the 185 member nations of the UN, 174 were eligible to vote. Thirteen members owed two or more years in back dues, making them ineligible. If these nations had pressed the matter, they could have received special permission from the Assembly to vote.

Before the first round of voting, Canada was considered a front runner. Several UN delegates and observers stated that Canadaís chances for a seat were excellent. Among the three nations vying for the seats, Canada and The Netherlands boasted strong peacekeeping presences and their skillful back-room politicking at the UN did not go unnoticed.

Even with these advantages many Canadian delegates remained calm during the voting. Andras Vamos-Goldman, a political officer at Canadaís UN mission said that it was important to be optimistic, but not complacent.

After first round voting Canada and The Netherlands were declared winners. Canada received 131 of the 174 votes. This was four more votes than Canada collected the last time it took a council seat in 1989. However only 159 countries voted at that time. The Netherlands received 122 votes. This was only five more votes than the 117 needed for the two-thirds majority. Greece, only managed to receive 87 votes. When asked who Canadaís main support came from, Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy could not specify. However, he mentioned that Canada probably received major support from the 35 countries in the Americas as well as obtaining solid support in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Canada was officially supported by Mexico, China and various Pacific-Island nations.

The biggest opposition to Canadaís campaign probably came from Europe. This was mentioned by Canadaís UN ambassador, Mr. Fowler. Overall, the vote showed that Canada had a broad base of support around the world. Axworthy, said that it was a ìvery satisfying feeling that [Canada] had that kind of consensus.

Along with the five permanent members of the UN (United States, Britain, Russia, China and France), Canada and The Netherlands will be joining recently elected Malaysia, Namibia and Argentina. These three countries were chosen by consensus among the countries of Asia, Africa and the Latin America-Caribbean group. The remaining five countries on the 15 member Security Council are Brazil, Bahrain, Gabon, Gambia and Slovenia. They each have one year left of their two year terms.

Canada has held a Security Council seat once every decade of the United Nations fifty year history. During the campaign, Canada stated it would push hard for reforms that would make the secretive council more accountable, open and democratic. A press release from the Foreign Affairs office stated that with their new seat on the Security Council, Canada hoped to use the forum to further its foreign policy goals. Some of these include global action on such humanitarian issues as land mines, small arms, war criminals, the exploitation of women and children, and environmental problems that transcend national borders.

Canada will begin its two-year term on January first, and will take over the presidency of the council on February first.