CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Cuba Calls for Permanent Membership for African, Asian, and Latin American and Caribbean Countries

UNITED NATIONS, June 30th, 2010.- Cuba stated that the Security Council will be neither effective nor representative, while entire regions are totally absent in the category of permanent members, as is the case of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, reported PL news agency.

The claim was reaffirmed by the Cuban Ambassador Rodolfo Benítez Verson, deputy permanent representative before the UN, during a session on the issue of geographic representation held at the UN headquarters.

"Cuba considers that the number of permanent members on the UN Security Council must increase to add two new developing countries from Asia, two from Africa, and two from Latin America and the Caribbean," said Benítez Verson.

"It is impossible to examine the issue of regional representation without considering the close link with the rest of the aspects of the Security Council reform," he said.

"Likewise, we favour an increase in the number of non- permanent members to achieve an adequate representation of the developing countries," said Benítez Verson.

These discussions are part of the fifth round of the intergovernmental negotiations on the reform of the Security Council. (Cubaminrex-Granma)