North Africa: Bitter Foes United to Clinch Impending Security Council Seats

By George Okore

CASABLANCA---Despite troubled political relationship between them, two Northern African States have tendered willingness to sit in the prestigious United Nations Security Council.

Neighbours Mauritania and Morocco are engaged in fierce diplomatic offensive over the status of Western Sahara, but fate brought them together and has to speak with one voice. When Spain withdrew from Western Sahara in 1976, Mauritania annexed a third of it, later and later withdrew. Upon withdrawal, Morocco took over and has been claiming Western Sahara. While Mauritania recognizes Western Sahara independent nation, Morocco has flatly refused.

So far, they are the only countries which have expressed willingness to occupy the two seats reserved for African countries during the elections to be held in October, 2011. So far, other countries which have declared their candidature for the five available seats are Guatemala (Latin America), Azerbaijan and Hungary (single Eastern European seat) and Japan and Pakistan for the single Asian seat. The five members will serve on the Security Council for the 2012–13 period.

The elections will be done during 66th Session of United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in New Yolk City.  A part from two seats reserved for African countries, there will be three other non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on January 1, 2012. According to the Security Council's rotation rules, the ten non-permanent seats rotate among the various regional blocks.

The term of the current  five Non Permanent members expire during the October General Assembly and new members will be elected  according to the  regional blocks in the ratio of two for Africa (Gabon and Nigeria), one for Asia (Lebanon), one for Latin America ( Brazil) and one for Eastern Europe  Group (Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. To be elected as a non-permanent member of the Council, candidate countries need a two-thirds majority of ballots of Member States that are present and voting in the 192-member Assembly.

The elections come at time when the 53 member African Union is unhappy with the global body, after  failing to cushion African countries  indictments by the International Criminal Court ( ICC). ICC has indicted six African countries including Uganda, Sudan, Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Two other case involving Ivory Coast and Libya are likely to be deposited at The Hague based UN backed court.