Panama Emerges As Security Council Compromise

Panama is set to join the UN security council after Guatemala and Venezuela agreed to drop their bids for a seat at the world's top diplomatic table.

The tiny Central American country emerged as the compromise candidate when Guatemala and Venezuela failed to muster the two-thirds majority needed in the 192-member general assembly to win the seat designated for a Latin American or Caribbean candidate.

The voting, which began last month, went through 47 ballots, the third-longest vote for a security council seat. Guatemala, backed by the US, led Venezuela in all but one ballot, which was tied, but lacked the dozen or so votes needed to push it over the top.

Venezuela's failure to win a security council seat is a blow to its president, the vociferously anti-American Hugo Chávez, who travelled around the world promising millions of dollars to drum up support for his country's bid.

But he damaged Venezuela's chances with overblown rhetoric that sounded out of place in the halls of the UN. In a speech to the general assembly in September, Mr Chávez described Washington as his No 1 enemy and called President George Bush "the devil".

Real power lies with the five permanent members, who have veto power - the US, China, Russia, France and Britain. It is these five, for example, who are discussing among themselves a resolution in the standoff with Iran over its nuclear enrichment programme. The other 10 non-permanent members who serve two years are merely bit-players.

Nevertheless, a victory for Venezuela would have given Mr Chávez a high-profile platform from which to berate the US. Venezuela put its best face on a disappointing outcome.

The Venezuelan foreign minister Nicolas Maduro, said: "We are recognising today this role of Panama as a political and geographical meeting point and we are very happy to reach this consensus. Many people will give their opinion about this, but I think what matters today is that a sister nation has obtained our agreement, that's what matters."

Panama expressed its gratitude for being chosen and said it would do its best to support policies on the council that promoted "peace and justice in the world" if elected.

The 35-member Latin American and Caribbean group must still approve the choice for the seat and then the general assembly will vote. But the decision by Guatemala and Venezuela is expected to stand.

Guatemala and Venezuela were vying for the Latin American seat that Argentina will vacate at the end of the year. Peru stays on the council until the end of 2007, along with the Congo Republic, Ghana, Qatar and Slovakia. Last month, South Africa, Indonesia, Italy and Belgium won two-year terms.