CHINA CONFIDENTIAL
Friday, October 17, 2008
Japan Wins UN Security Council Seat
Japan was elected Friday to a seat at the UN Security Council for 2009-2010, overcoming a challenge from Iran for a place at the head table of international diplomacy.
In a vote in the UN General Assembly, which includes all member nations of the world body, Japan took 158 votes against 32 for Iran, the assembly's president Miguel d'Escoto of Nicaragua said.
Among nations in the European group at the United Nations, Austria and Turkey won places on the Security Council, while Iceland's bid was defeated.
Mexico and Uganda were elected to the seats available for Latin America and Africa.
China Blocking Iran Talks
China is reported to be blocking talks on how to further isolate Iran.
An Associated Press report Thursday cited US officials as saying that China is blocking a conference call among the "P5 plus 1" group of major powers who are leading efforts to get Iran to stand down from its suspected nuclear weapons program.
The Bush administration had hoped to convene such a meeting last month in New York during the opening of the UN General Assembly, but at that time Russia resisted--in part because it was still angry at US backing for Georgia during the Caucasus miniwar over the summer.
Now, AP quoted US officials as saying, China is angry at the United States over its sale of arms to Taiwan.
The "P5 plus 1" --comprised of the United States, Russia, France, Britain and China, all veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Germany--has pushed through three sets of UN Security Council sanctions on Iran over the last year. The United States, Britain, France and Germany now want to tighten the sanctions.
-JTA
Friday, 17 October 2008
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