MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile in Security Council

Chile was chosen last week to the United Nations Security Council as non permanent member and will take over from Colombia next January. Chile will hold the post for two years.

In a short communiqué Chile said the honour was "recognition of the international community to our foreign policy, and particularly its multilateral diplomatic action".

Chile also committed itself to "incorporate social variables in the layout of strategies to prevent and solve international conflicts, privilege selective sanctions so they don't affect civilian populations and emphasize the importance that United Nations keeps supporting the economic and social reconstruction of a country once the conflict is over".

The other four non permanent members to join the Security Council were Germany, Spain, Angola and Pakistan. This is the fourth time Chile reaches the Security Council: previously in 1952/53; 1961/62 and 1996/7. Chile is expected to preside over the fifteen members Council in September 2004.

The UN Security Council includes five permanent members: US, Britain, Russia, China and France, all with veto power, and ten non permanent chosen according to regions.