Panama wins U.N. council seat

UNITED NATIONS — One of the longest battles for a seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council ended Tuesday with victory for Panama after U.S.-backed Guatemala and leftist Venezuela led by anti-American President Hugo Chavez withdrew to end a deadlock.

The General Assembly's overwhelming vote for Panama on the 48th ballot was greeted with loud applause by diplomats in the packed chamber, who had been trying since Oct. 12 to choose a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean to serve a two-year term on the U.N.'s most powerful body.

In the secret ballot, Panama received 164 votes — more than the required two-thirds majority of the 189 voting members in the 192-nation assembly. Venezuela got 11 votes, Guatemala 4 votes, Barbados 1 vote, and 9 countries abstained.

General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, who announced the results, said she was "delighted" at Panama's victory and that all five new members of the Security Council had now been chosen — Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa. They will join the 15-seat council on Jan. 1.

Panamanian President Martin Torrijos Espino said he was honored his country was elected. Panama will try to unify Latin American and Caribbean nations and help the council reach consensus on sticky issues, he said.

"We have always aspired to ... be the force that can unite positions," Torrijos said during a visit to the Mexico Pacific coast resort of Acapulco, where he is attending a meeting on efforts to help disabled people.

Panama's election was virtually assured last week when the foreign ministers of Guatemala and Venezuela met and agreed to withdraw in favor of the Central American nation, which they called a bridge between the northern and southern Latin America. The 34 Latin American and Caribbean nations endorsed Panama as the group's candidate on Friday.

The race for the council seat became highly political because of the U.S. support for Guatemala and Chavez' reference to President Bush as "the devil" in his speech in September to the General Assembly ministerial meeting. A number of countries said Chavez' anti-Bush comments hurt Venezuela's chances.

Guatemala led Venezuela in all but one of the 47 ballots, but could not muster the two-thirds support needed to win in the General Assembly. The standoff was the third-longest battle for a Security Council seat in the U.N.'s 61-year history.

The second highest number of ballots for a council seat was 52, set in 1960. After that, the General Assembly agreed to allow Poland and Turkey to serve on the council for one year each.