Dutch competing with Sweden, Italy for Security Council seat

By gkidd on September 28, 2015 - 17:56
UN general assembly
Dutch King Willem-Alexander (L) sits with Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders at a UN General Assembly gathering in New York. Sept. 28, 2015 (photo: @MinPres / Twitter). (Dutch King Willem-Alexander (L) sits with Foreign Affairs Minister Bert Koenders at a UN General Assembly gathering in New York. Sept. 28, 2015 (photo: @MinPres / Twitter))

The Dutch are competing directly with Sweden and Italy for two available seats on the UN Security Council, with the latter likely to win one of them, according to BNR. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says that the Netherlands wants to be well positioned for the seat on the Security Council but are fighting what analysts believe to be an uphill battle.

The Netherlands could have trouble in securing the support of two of the five permanent Security Council members, the United States and Russia. Earlier this year the Dutch government refused to take prisoners from Guantanamo Bay which reportedly left the United States feeling “very disappointed”. This came as a surprise to many considering the numerous ties the two countries currently share that require ongoing international cooperation.

Gaining the support of Russia amidst three years of strained relations, including the Russian veto against a proposed UN tribunal related to Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, could hinder the Netherlands chances of attaining the temporary security seat. Before and after MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine, the two countries were embroiled in battles over gay rights, the arrest of a diplomat by Hague police, the detention of a Greenpeace crew protesting in the arctic, the expulsion of an alleged spy at a Dutch university, and a wide variety of trade embargoes.

King Willem-Alexander will become the first Dutch Monarch to address the United Nations when he gives a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. De Volksrant has highlighted that Dutch delegates will be wearing orange tulip badges that ring with the clear message of: “The Netherlands is here for the world, but also for itself.”

The Netherlands is looking to strengthen and modernize the council as well as ensure effectiveness and legitimacy within its operations. The King is scheduled as the fourteenth speaker of Monday's morning UN session in New York.

Voting for the open seat will take place In October.

 

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