MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Unasur receives United Nations Observer Status

Venezuelan Ambassador before the UN, Jorge Valero

The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) received the observer status in the UN General Assembly after the committee of judicial affairs of the organization unanimously approved its request.

Unasur “transcended the continental area to turn into a global institution,” Venezuela’s Mission affirmed before the UN, one of the twelve countries that are members of the South American bloc, also formed by Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Guyana, Peru, Surinam and Uruguay.

The Venezuelan Ambassador before the UN, Jorge Valero, affirmed that the members are working to overcome the social and economic inequality, achieve the social inclusion, “the citizen’s participation and maintain the sovereignty and independence of the States.”

In related news Pakistan, Morocco, Togo and Guatemala were elected to the 15-nation UN Security Council for 2012 and 2013.

In the most competitive council elections for years, only Guatemala ran unopposed within its region. Pakistan scraped through in the first round of voting, defeating Kyrgyzstan with the minimum required 129 votes for an Asian seat.

Morocco received 151 votes to secure an easy first-round victory, while the small West African state of Togo secured 131 votes in the third round, more than double Mauritania's 61.

Pakistan's UN ambassador, Abdullah Hussain Haroon, welcomed his country's election to the United Nations' most powerful body and said he expected to work well with the ambassador of Pakistan's archrival India, Hardeep Singh Puri, next year.

“You have seen that the usual tendencies have not erupted between us and that is a good factor,” Haroon said. “Perhaps both of us have been beneficial in starting dialogue between both the countries.”

India joined the council this year and will stay through 2012. India and Pakistan have fought three wars, mainly over Kashmir, since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

There are five veto-holding, nuclear-armed permanent members of the Security Council -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- and 10 temporary elected members without vetoes. With India and Pakistan on the council next year, seven of the 15 members will be nuclear powers.

Western diplomats said it is likely that Pakistan will take over from Brazil by joining Russia and China, India and South Africa in resisting renewed US and European pressure to sanction nations like Syria and Iran.

Lebanon, Nigeria, Gabon, Bosnia and Brazil come off the council in January. The four temporary members that will remain through 2012 besides India are Colombia, Germany, Portugal and South Africa.