Iceland suffered a fresh humiliation on the international stage yesterday when the United Nations rebuffed its bid for membership of the UN Security Council.

Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Iceland’s Foreign Minister, blamed Britain’s seizure of its assets, in part, for the near-bankrupt country’s defeat in the UN election for a two-year seat on the 15-nation council.

“It was not helpful what Britain did... activating a kind of terrorist law against a small nation,” she said.

Britain reacted coolly to Iceland’s complaints about the seizure of assets under the 2001 Antiterrorism, Crime and Security Act to protect British depositors with money in Icelandic banks.

“That issue is being resolved between capitals. We believe there is now a clear understanding of the need to protect all investors in Icelandic banks,” Sir John Sawers, Britain’s UN Ambassador, said.

Though facing financial ruin in the credit crunch, Iceland persisted with its campaign to win its first seat on the UN Security Council. The vote came as it negotiated a multi-billion-dollar possible loan from Russia that could have put it under the sway of a powerful permanent member of the Security Council.

The Nordic nation of 313,000 people courted support by touting itself as a champion of small states, which make up the majority of the UN’s 192 nations.

Icelandic diplomats fanned out across the South Pacific islands and circulated a brochure in New York with photos of students from developing nations studying in its geo-thermal training programme. Reykjavik even sought to woo other UN delegates by mounting an Icelandic food festival at UN headquarters featuring desserts such as “Icelandic pancakes folded with jam of mixed berries and whipped cream”. In a video address to a UN seminar this week, President Grimsson emphasised Iceland’s resilience and pitched the “Icelandic model” as a solution to the energy and climate change crises.

The perhaps predictable outcome, however, was that Iceland was knocked out of the three-way contest for two European seats that will be left vacant by Italy and Belgium. Iceland scored 87 votes – well short of the two-thirds majority required, or 128 votes. Turkey won a convincing victory with 151 votes and Austria scraped through with 133.

Iran, which ran despite ignoring four Security Council resolutions demanding that it should freeze uranium enrichment, was defeated by Japan for the Asian seat. The other two open seats were filled by Mexico and Uganda.

A little power

— Malta is the smallest country ever to be a member of the UN Security Council (1983-84). It measures 122 square miles and has a population of 400,000

Source: un.org; Times archives

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