ONU: Nervosismo político em Otava devido a eleição do CS
O governo canadiano e, em particular, o seu Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros, está a mostrar sinais de nervosismo político na véspera das eleições para o Conselho de Segurança (CS) nas Nações Unidas.
O Canadá é um dos três candidatos, a par da Alemanha e Portugal, a um dos dois lugares disponíveis para representar a área geográfica "Europa Ocidental e outros" naquele órgão decisório da ONU no biénio 2011-2012.
O apoio público dado por Portugal nos últimos dias à candidatura do Canadá não passou despercebido em alguns jornais canadianos, um gesto que foi considerado "extraordinário" por colunistas, dado ser do país apontado como "rival" na eleição e sobretudo por ir contra o candidato favorito, a Alemanha.
Veja-se a notícia:
Joao Gomes Cravinho, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, said he wants Germany to be left out in the cold because the German government was tardy about declaring its candidacy.
By seeking a seat on the 15-member council after Canada and Portugal had declared their candidacies, Germany prevented a “clean slate” from being presented for the two slots reserved for Western democracies for the 2011-12 two-year term.
“The emergence of Germany very late is something only Germany could explain,” Cravinho told the Portuguese news agency Lusa.
He said that when only Canada and Portugal were on the slate, the two countries made a commitment to mutually support one another, hence he was pledging his country’s continuing support for Canadian success alongside Portugal’s.
“We would like to see Canada (in addition to Portugal) elected to the Security Council, and I hope that is the end result on the 12th” of October, Cravinho added.
The Canadian campaign — which spurred Prime Minister Stephen Harper to address the UN annual debate last month — has not involved public comment on Canada’s rivals, except to say they are competitors.
“Both Germany and Portugal are close allies and good friends of Canada and we work closely with them at the UN and in different fora", Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said Friday in New York, where he has been shoring up support.
"This doesn’t detract from actively promoting Canada’s qualifications and strong track record.”
Germany — whose 2006 decision to run came five years after Canada’s, and six years after Portugal’s — signalled that the outcome of the competition is not in Cravinho’s hands.
“We think it is the free decision of the member states whom they elect to the Security Council”, said a spokesman with the German mission to the UN.
Though a latecomer, Germany is tipped as favourite to attract the required two-thirds support in the first ballot, while Canada and Portugal may have to tough it out through second or even more ballots.
Analysts suggest that Germany’s support is buttressed not least by the fact it is the third largest cash contributor to the UN — providing 8.5 per cent of the organization’s annual budget. Canada is the eighth largest contributor while Portugal, the smallest of the three competing countries, is farther down the list.
Germany was last on the Security Council throughout 2003-04, and it’s common UN practice not to announce a new candidacy while serving. But some observers also say that it’s clear that Germany, which saw the five biggest victors of the Second World War get the council’s five permanent seats, now seeks to return to the body’s horseshoe table as much as possible.
German officials say the goal is to aim for a council seat once every eight years, which compares to Canada’s record of serving once a decade.
Canada was last a Security Council member throughout 1999-2000, and Portugal throughout 1997-98.
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