Prime Minister Applauds Canadian Security Council Success


October 8, 1998
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Chrétien enthusiastically welcomed the news today that Canada had been elected to serve a two-year term on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, starting on January 1, 1999.

"This a great day for Canada, said the Prime Minister. Today's vote is a recognition by the nations of the world of our longstanding commitment to and support of the UN. It is another high point in what has been an exciting and productive period for Canadian diplomacy, with historic success on the landmine treaty and the International Criminal Court. And it follows close on our being selected by the UN – for the fifth year in a row – as the country with the best quality of life in the world."

The Security Council consists of five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States – and ten elected members whose seats are allocated among five regional groups and who serve two-year terms each. Canada and the Netherlands were elected today to the two available seats in the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG). The other new members elected today were Argentina, Malaysia and Namibia.

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