Indonesia admitted to UN security council<\/p>\n
UNITED NATIONS (Agencies): Indonesia, current chairman of the
\nNon-Aligned Movement, was elected by the United Nations General
\nAssembly on Thursday to serve on the Security Council for a two-
\nyear term beginning next January.<\/p>\n
Germany, Italy, Botswana and Honduras were also voted in
\nduring a plenary session of the assembly.<\/p>\n
Each candidate was unopposed in its regional group,
\nessentially ensuring each country's election by the Assembly.<\/p>\n
Indonesia obtained 164 votes in the 184-member assembly,
\nGermany 164 votes; Italy 167; Botswana 168 and Honduras 170.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Nugroho Wisnumurti, who heads the Indonesian
\nPermanent Representative Office at the United Nations, hailed the
\nvote \"as a recognition of our diplomatic role in international
\nforums,\" the Antara news agency reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
In addition to Jakarta's intensive lobbying efforts launched
\nduring the last two years to win international support, Nugroho
\npointed out that the role Indonesia has played in the Non-Aligned
\nMovement undoubtedly helped their candidacy.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has been heading the 111-nation movement for the
\nlast two years.<\/p>\n
Indonesia replaces Pakistan as the representative of Asia on
\nthe 15-member council. Germany and Italy replaced Spain and New
\nZealand as representatives of the group known as West European
\nand Others, Botswana takes Djibouti's place as African
\nrepresentative while Honduras succeeds Brazil as representative
\nof the Latin America and the Caribbean group.<\/p>\n
The 15-member council consists of five permanent members, with
\nthe power of veto -- the United States, Russia, Britain, China
\nand France -- and 10 non-permanent members who each serve two
\nyears. The other five non-permanent members, whose terms expire
\nat the end of 1995, are the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda
\nand Argentina.<\/p>\n
The council's membership next January will be heavily oriented
\ntowards Europe, particularly the European Union, since Germany,
\nItaly, France and Britain will be serving simultaneously, along
\nwith Russia and the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n
Germany was last a council member in 1987-88, when Italy also
\nheld a seat. Indonesia's only previous service on the council was
\nin 1973-74. This is the first time Botswana and Honduras have
\nbeen elected.<\/p>\n
Stronger<\/p>\n
Nugroho said he believed that Indonesia would have a stronger
\npresence on the Security Council than 20 years ago, this time in
\nrepresenting the interests of developing countries and non-
\naligned members in their endeavor to promote international peace.<\/p>\n
In the 1970s, Indonesia's role was kept to a minimum because
\npermanent members of the council were confronting cold war
\ntensions, resorting continually to their power of veto and
\ncounter veto, he recalled.<\/p>\n
He added that the Indonesian Permanent Representative Office
\nto the UN will be expanded with additional staff in anticipation
\nof Indonesia's involvement in the Security Council activities.<\/p>\n
A UN committee studying an increase in the size of the Council
\nrecently agreed that it should be expanded but has not yet
\nreached any conclusions about how many seats should be added or
\nwhether any of them should be permanent.<\/p>\n
A number of countries have called for allowing Germany and
\nJapan to hold permanent seats on the policy making Security
\nCouncil. Developing countries such as Nigeria, Brazil, India and
\nEgypt have expressed interest in such status as well.<\/p>\n
Diplomatic sources here said Germany was hoping for an
\nagreement on reforming the council before Dec. 31, 1997, to allow
\nit to transform its non-permanent seat into a permanent one.<\/p>\n
Diplomats from non-aligned countries expressed concerns about
\nthe disproportionate representation of Europe on the council
\nwhich takes effect in 1995.<\/p>\n
Germany and Italy will join France and Britain, both
\npermanent members.<\/p>",
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