ANKARA - The voting for a two-year non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council, for which Turkey is a candidate, will take place on October 17.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will hold a series of talks in New York between October 12 and 18 within the framework of Turkey's candidacy campaign, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Turkey, competing in the Western European and Others Group, has to win 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 council for the term 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.
Turkey was a member of the Council in 1951-1952, 1954-1955 and 1961.
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