UNITED NATIONS, (Reuters) – Venezuela complained yesterday that the United Nations Security Council was not respecting the views of its non-permanent members, after abstaining on a vote for at least the seventh time this year and saying it was shut out of negotiations.
Despite Venezuela’s abstention, the 15-member council renewed an arms embargo and targeted sanctions regime on Somalia and Eritrea with 14 votes in favor.
A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members – the United States, China, Russia, Britain and France – to pass.
“My country demands respect in this Security Council. Respect … for the points of view of all countries be they permanent or elected members to the Security Council,” Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Rafael Ramirez told the council.
Ramirez, a former Venezuelan foreign minister, said the negotiating process for the resolution was not broad enough.
Ten of the Security Council members are elected by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly. It is a common complaint among elected members that the five permanent members routinely exclude them from initial negotiations on some issues and that the situation has worsened in recent years.
New Zealand – a council member for 2015/2016 – also has complained about a “power imbalance” on the council due to the five veto-wielding members “who have become used to exercising their power and protective of their privileged position.”
