Egypt to receive UN Security Council seat on Jan. 1

Thursday 31-12-2015 07:47 PM
Egypt to receive UN Security Council seat on Jan. 1

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote to tighten sanctions on North Korea at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, March 7, 2013. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

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CAIRO, Dec 31 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt will receive Friday its non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, and will commence its participation in all  UNSC sessions for the duration of two years, according to the Egyptian Foreign ministry's spokesperson Ahmed Abo Zeid.

In statements to Aswat Masriya, Abo Zeid said that Egypt prioritises on its agenda the resolution of conflicts in the African continent in order to strengthen peace and security.

Egypt won a non-permanent member seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Oct 15 for the 2016-2017 term, securing 179 votes out of the 193 nations entitled to vote at the UN.

This is the fifth time Egypt is voted as a non-permanent Security Council member, according to the UN.

The Security Council includes 15 members, five of whom are permanent: Russia, China, US, UK and France. Permanent members have the right to veto any decision by the Security Council.

The remaining 10 seats are for non-permanent members to be elected by the General Assembly every two years.

Egypt was unanimously elected to head the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), and two other committees related to the follow-up on sanctions in Iraq and the Congo.

Established in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Counter-Terrorism Committee "works to bolster the ability of United Nations Member States to prevent terrorist acts both within their borders and across regions". 

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