NEW YORK - A senior Turkish diplomat said on Thursday Turkey`s active foreign policy would continue.
Baki Ilkin, Turkey`s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), said Turkey would go on with its active foreign policy and steps even if it lost in the voting for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council for the term 2009-2010.
"It will be everybody`s success if Turkey secures a non-permanent seat," Ilkin told reporters in New York.
Ilkin said that Turkey knew well about problems, approaches and opinions in its region, and therefore it could contribute to solution of problems at the UN Security Council.
The UN General Assembly will vote for non-permanent seats at the UN Security Council for the term 2009-2010 on October 17th. 192 countries will join the voting.
Turkey, competing in the Western European and Others Group, has to win votes of 128 votes (or votes of two-thirds of countries joining the voting) to secure a seat at the UN Security Council. Austria and Iceland are the other candidates in this group. Only two countries can become a non-permanent member of the security council for the period of 2009-2010.
The United Nations Security Council is the branch of the UN charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of international sanctions, and the authorization for military action.
The council has five permanent members, including France, China, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States.
Ten other members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. The members are chosen by regional groups and confirmed by the United Nations General Assembly. The African bloc chooses three members; the Latin America and the Caribbean, Asian, and Western European and Others blocs choose two members each; and the Eastern European bloc chooses one member. Also, one of these members is an Arab country, alternately from the Asian or African bloc.
Austria was a member of the Security Council twice, including the periods 1973-1974 and 1991-1992, however Iceland has never joined the Council.
Turkey was a member of the council in 1951-1952, 1954-1955 and 1961.
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