Finland votes for Guatemala for UN Security Council

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Finland has voted for Guatemala for the United Nations Security Council seat vacated by Argentina, says Assistant Secretary of State Markus Lyra from the Minister for Foreign Affairs Political Department.
      "In my understanding we voted for Guatemala. We definitely did not cast our vote for Venezuela", Lyra told Helsingin Sanomat on Thursday.
      Venezuela, led by the left-wing populist Hugo Chávez, and Guatemala, supported by the United States, have been racing against each other for the Latin American seat in the UN Security Council since Monday. Receiving a two-thirds majority in a General Assembly ballot would guarantee victory to one side or the other. So far, neither of the candidates has succeeded in this endeavour.
     
The European Union has not established a common policy in the matter. According to Lyra, at least two or three European states have at times turned in an empty ballot. It is likely that the remaining EU countries have given their vote for Guatemala, although this, too, is somewhat unclear as the voting takes place as a closed ballot.
      In the 29th voting on Thursday, Venezuela received 77 votes against Guatemala's 107. For victory, 124 votes are needed.
      Minister Counsellor Heli Kanerva from the Permanent Mission of Finland to the UN does not believe Venezuela will succeed in rustling up the additional 40 or so votes needed for victory. Guatemala, on the other hand, just might, especially if the hallway negotiations prove fruitful and if some countries miss the vote.
     
In any event, a compromise candidate among the prospective future Latin American representatives in the Security Council is also being sought to replace Venezuela and Guatemala.
      "Costa Rica has been mentioned as one possibility", Kanerva reveals.


Links:
  UN Security Council
  Permanent Finnish Mission to the UN

Helsingin Sanomat