ID :
156073
Thu, 01/06/2011 - 08:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/156073
The shortlink copeid
Japan to seek nonpermanent U.N. Security Council seat for 2012-2013+
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 Kyodo - Japan plans to seek a nonpermanent seat on the U.N. Security Council for the 2012-2013 term after having just completed a two-year term on the body at the end of last year, in the hope of paving the way for eventual permanent membership, government sources said Wednesday.
Tokyo has already unofficially notified some friendly countries about its
intention to run in the next election of nonpermanent members, set to be held
this autumn, and is likely to announce the plan shortly, they added.
If elected, Japan would sit on the Security Council for an 11th term as a
nonpermanent member, the most for any U.N. member state, returning to the post
after the shortest possible interval. Countries are not allowed to seek
back-to-back nonpermanent seat terms.
In the long run, Japan is hoping to become a permanent member of the Security
Council when the U.N. system is overhauled, but one of the sources said
negotiations on the reform are ''unlikely to progress for a while.''
The Japanese government, therefore, will aim to enhance its presence on the
Security Council by frequently serving as a nonpermanent member, while waiting
for U.N. members to reach a stage of heightened momentum in discussing the
world body's reform, they added.
The Security Council consists of five permanent veto-wielding members --
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 nonpermanent
members that serve two-year terms. Five nonpermanent members are elected every
autumn.
The nonpermanent seats are allocated according to geographical region, and Asia
has one slot each year. Japan and Brazil are currently tied for most terms
served as nonpermanent Security Council members at 10 terms each.
A Japanese diplomatic source underscored the benefit of serving on the U.N.
Security Council, saying Japan can obtain more information on international
situations when it is a member of the body.
''Even if we are not on the Security Council, we can obtain information from
our ally the United States and others, but there is a considerable difference
in the amount of information we can get by actually taking part in the Security
Council's informal discussions on topics such as North Korean issues,'' the
source said.
==Kyodo
Tokyo has already unofficially notified some friendly countries about its
intention to run in the next election of nonpermanent members, set to be held
this autumn, and is likely to announce the plan shortly, they added.
If elected, Japan would sit on the Security Council for an 11th term as a
nonpermanent member, the most for any U.N. member state, returning to the post
after the shortest possible interval. Countries are not allowed to seek
back-to-back nonpermanent seat terms.
In the long run, Japan is hoping to become a permanent member of the Security
Council when the U.N. system is overhauled, but one of the sources said
negotiations on the reform are ''unlikely to progress for a while.''
The Japanese government, therefore, will aim to enhance its presence on the
Security Council by frequently serving as a nonpermanent member, while waiting
for U.N. members to reach a stage of heightened momentum in discussing the
world body's reform, they added.
The Security Council consists of five permanent veto-wielding members --
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 nonpermanent
members that serve two-year terms. Five nonpermanent members are elected every
autumn.
The nonpermanent seats are allocated according to geographical region, and Asia
has one slot each year. Japan and Brazil are currently tied for most terms
served as nonpermanent Security Council members at 10 terms each.
A Japanese diplomatic source underscored the benefit of serving on the U.N.
Security Council, saying Japan can obtain more information on international
situations when it is a member of the body.
''Even if we are not on the Security Council, we can obtain information from
our ally the United States and others, but there is a considerable difference
in the amount of information we can get by actually taking part in the Security
Council's informal discussions on topics such as North Korean issues,'' the
source said.
==Kyodo
