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Last update - 15:50 18/10/2008
Iran blames Western intolerance for losing UN Security Council seat
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent, and Reuters
Tags: Security Council 

Iran on Saturday blamed what it said was intolerance of its independent positions by the West for its failure to win a seat on the UN Security Council, which has imposed sanctions on Tehran over its disputed nuclear
work.

Iran was overwhelmingly defeated by Japan in a vote on Friday for an Asian seat on the 15-seat Council. Tokyo secured 158 votes from the 192-member assembly for the right to sit on the Council for two years starting in January. Iran won a mere 32 votes, mostly from Arab countries.
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"Obviously the structure of the Security Council is such that it must be said in practice a few special countries make decisions there and impose ideas," Iran's UN ambassador, Mohammad Khazaee, told state television.

"And it is natural that these countries are disinterested in independent ideas or the entry of states that believe in the necessity of re-examining its structure," he said.

"Anyhow, some do not have the tolerance to hear an independent voice in a structure incompatible with today's world necessities," he added.

Iran's delegation did not speak to reporters immediately after the vote in New York.

Turkey, Austria, Mexico and Uganda were also admitted to the council for 2009-10.

In a three-way contest for two European seats, Iceland - an apparent victim of its grave financial crisis - scored 87 votes, well short of the two-thirds majority required. Turkey went through easily and Austria by a narrow margin.

The election of Mexico and Uganda had been virtually assured since they were unopposed in their regional groupings.

The General Assembly votes once a year for five of the 10 non-permanent seats on the 15-nation council, the powerhouse of the United Nations with the ability to impose sanctions and dispatch peacekeepers.

The new make-up of the council is seen as favorable to Israel, after South Africa, which has championed a persistently anti-Israel policy, stepped down.

Prof. Gabriela Shalev, the Israeli ambassador to the UN, said that the international community demonstrated responsibility for preventing the accession of a "state that endangers peace and supports terror."

"The notion of considering the nomination of a state that has threatened to wipe Israel off the map is unacceptable," she said.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni welcomed Japan's accession to the council.

"By thwarting Iran's bid to join the Security Council, the United Nations managed to save face," Livni said.

She also urged the international community to "continue its efforts to restrict Tehran by any means possible."

The permanent members, which have veto power, are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.

U.S. and British envoys were exultant about the low vote for Iran. British Ambassador Sir John Sawers said Iran had been "thrashed."

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      1.   Serves them right! 18:45  |  Maurice 17/10/08
      2.   uganda on security council 18:57  |  fish 17/10/08
      3.   Oh yes, what a "fine" president amhedinejad is 19:17  |  Conroy 17/10/08
      4.   Kudos to Japan!!! 19:40  |  Lynn 17/10/08
      5.   Congratrulations to Japan ....... 20:08  |  Dagma 17/10/08
      6.   Would Israel get 32 votes, if she would have to stand against.... 20:26  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/10/08
      7.   Yeah Baby!!! 20:51  |  Yosemite 17/10/08
      8.   Is this too a punishment from Allah? 22:02  |  Ben 17/10/08
      9.   I dare you to open up your mind 22:43  |  Fahim 17/10/08
      10.   YES BUT THEY CREATED AN ALTERNATIVE 22:55  |  Brant 17/10/08
      11.   Iran`s bid rejected 22:58  |  Latrina Goldfarb 17/10/08
      12.   #8 Latrina Goldfarb, that is a good thing 23:35  |  Mark B. 17/10/08
      13.   Pity about Iran, it would have completed the circus. 23:42  |  Stephen. 17/10/08
      14.   Colonial Powers Club? 23:46  |  Gray 17/10/08
      15.   #3 Swiss...certainly not 00:31  |  Lynn 18/10/08
      16.   Poor Idealogue Gray 00:58  |  Brant 18/10/08
      17.   THE JAPANESE ARE OUR FRIENDS AS WELL 01:12  |  indrajaya 18/10/08
      18.   Brant ; Demonizing Iran....for Americans to deal with 01:27  |  Gray 18/10/08
      19.   Well, Well, The UN Finally Does Something Right 01:53  |  Jeff Northridge 18/10/08
      20.   The joke of the article ... 02:01  |  Axel 18/10/08
      21.   A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR GRAY 02:16  |  Brant 18/10/08
      22.   Same Old Distortions; (Brant) For The Record... 03:33  |  Gray 18/10/08
      23.   Gray # 14 There Aren`t Very Many Colonies Left 03:42  |  Jeff Northridge 18/10/08
      24.   #6 Is switzerland even part of the UN? 06:12  |  Kris Lazar 18/10/08
      25.   "Iran only 32, mostly from Arab countries" 06:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/10/08
      26.   #16 You meant to say that Iranians would use 06:27  |  Kris Lazar 18/10/08
      27.   #26, Kris Lazar, "one should not throw stones...." 06:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 18/10/08
      28.   Swiss-Dino (6) 07:34  |  Magnus K. 18/10/08
      29.   Anti-Semitism Mascarding as Anti-Israeli comments 07:56  |  Jason 18/10/08
      30.   Kris always remember that Austria gave us Hitler 08:52  |  x-ray 18/10/08
      31.   So what`s the U.N.? 09:17  |  Maureen Ann 18/10/08
      32.   No. 31 Maureen Ann 10:15  |  Henry Blofeld 18/10/08
      33.   #.20 Axel. I wonder for how long..? 11:00  |  Stephen. 18/10/08
      34.   # 15 Lynn 11:10  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/08
      35.   # 24 Kris Lazar 11:14  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/08
      36.   Iran will get the respect it wants soon enough 11:47  |  spyguy 18/10/08
      37.   Expel Iran from UN 14:34  |  Realist 18/10/08
      38.   Kris Lazar # 24 Switzerland And The UN 15:18  |  Jeff Northridge 18/10/08
      39.   They Shouldn`t Even Be In The UN! 15:52  |  B`Galil 18/10/08
      40.   Western intolerance NOT their barbaric abuse of human rights? 16:25  |  PETER SM 18/10/08
      41.   To Jason in Tel Aviv 16:30  |  kia 18/10/08
      42.   14 Yes , Gray this vote is the colonial power club in action 16:35  |  Dutch 18/10/08
      43.   A WORD FOR AXEL AND STEPHEN 16:53  |  Brant 18/10/08
      44.   #36 spyguy...they don`t want respect 17:13  |  Lynn 18/10/08
      45.   SPYGUYIf you believe that why are you in the `hollow shell" 17:22  |  PETER SM 18/10/08
      46.   #18 Gray`s usual diatribe 17:26  |  DesMnsDave 18/10/08
      47.   #36 This "Hollow Shell" refills fast 17:33  |  DesMnsDave 18/10/08
      48.   MAUREEN UN IS what Arabs chose to ignore 17:36  |  PETER SM 18/10/08
      49.   #36 spyguy is a mixedup wingnut 18:06  |  victor hardman 18/10/08
      50.   Boo Hoo! Poor Iran! 18:49  |  Baruch Gold 18/10/08
      51.   "Jason" #29 Racial "Free Pass" 19:15  |  Gray 18/10/08
      52.   Gray # 18 _ You Asked A Lot Of Questions Implying An Answer 19:41  |  Eli 18/10/08
      53.   Time for Iran to look in the mirror 19:50  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/08
      54.   re 40 What world do you live in gray? 19:50  |  alan the wrong one 18/10/08
      55.   Gray matter out of sync 19:52  |  SDHD 18/10/08
      56.   re 22 Never let a good fact get in the way old gray. 19:59  |  alan the real one 18/10/08
      57.   Non-Proliferation, Zero Sums Nukes Worldwide? 20:14  |  John Isenhower 18/10/08
      58.   alan t.r.o. Honest negotiations, not stalling 20:32  |  Gray 18/10/08
      59.   #4, Does that also cover kamikaze pilots ? 20:55  |  Gary 18/10/08
      60.   Gray - lying 21:20  |  SDHD 18/10/08
      61.   Gray # 41 You`ve Been Misinformed By Dutch 21:43  |  Jeff Northridge 18/10/08
      62.   No "Fiddlers" in the UN Security Council. 22:25  |  Stephen. 18/10/08
      63.   The tolerance of the Intolerant. 22:25  |  Craig 18/10/08
      64.   Swiss (Dino) #35 always remember that Austria gave us Hitler 22:50  |  Gil 18/10/08
      65.   Western Intolerance Of Iran`s "Independent Positions" 23:00  |  Jeff Northridge 18/10/08
      66.   THE MOST INTOLERANT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD BLAMES EVERYONE ELSE... 23:27  |  dav zee 18/10/08
      67.   Eli; Missing the point 23:57  |  Gray 18/10/08
      68.   spyguy 36 00:03  |  ChanahS 19/10/08
      69.   Indeed Iran, intolerance aginst the irresponsible 00:08  |  Mark B. 19/10/08
      70.   Intolerance? Towards bunch of Killers? 00:52  |  Yuri 19/10/08
      71.   How convenient.Not a corrupt dictatorship at the helm of Iran 01:15  |  PETER SM 19/10/08
      72.   GRAY The Arabs sidelined the UN on day 1 of this conflict 01:19  |  PETER SM 19/10/08
      73.   Yuri; "Bunch of killers" ..more desperate demonization 01:39  |  Gray 19/10/08
      74.   Gray and Israeli Nukes 02:17  |  Eli 19/10/08
      75.   Gray # 61 UNSCRs Are Seldom Universal In Scope 02:33  |  Jeff Northridge 19/10/08
      76.   Eli; Again with the "Anti Semite/Israel Hater" Canard 03:20  |  Gray 19/10/08
      77.   Eli; Again with the "Anti Semite/Israel Hater" Canard 03:20  |  Gray 19/10/08
      78.   A real double standard at work 03:25  |  Veritas 19/10/08
      79.   Gray # 67 Resistance Is OK, But Nothing Legitimizes Terrorism 2 04:32  |  Jeff Northridge 19/10/08
      80.   Gray _ You Are The One Hiding Behind Your 04:48  |  Eli 19/10/08
      81.   Gray, And One More Thing 04:53  |  Eli 19/10/08
      82.   Eli; If "YOU"? established Israel... 05:24  |  Gray 19/10/08
      83.   Jeff N. Legitimized Resistance 05:40  |  Gray 19/10/08
      84.   Jeff N. "....Legitimizing Terrorism" 05:52  |  Gray 19/10/08
      85.   IRAN`S BID WAS THRASHED 05:56  |  Lex Luthor 19/10/08
      86.   Gray _ I Came Here Temporarily As I Was Made An Offer I Could 06:22  |  Eli 19/10/08
      87.   Eli;;" When howling "anti Semite" is all that`s left 18:41  |  Gray 19/10/08
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