PM to make final plea for Security Council seat

Updated

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has arrived in New York where she will spend the week lobbying world leaders to win Australia a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

In a push that has cost an estimated $40 million over four years, Australia is competing against Finland and Luxembourg for one of two non-permanent positions available on the Security Council.

Ms Gillard, who will address the UN General Assembly this week, will mount a final charm offensive, selling Australia as a "creative middle power".

She is likely to focus her lobbying on the African nations that account for almost half of the votes needed to win.

Officials say Australia has secured a majority of the Asian, Caribbean and Pacific support but has been blocked by Europe which is locked in behind Finland and Luxembourg.

"Australia, with its proud track record of work within the United Nations, has put itself forward for election for the Security Council and I will be personally advocating for that," Ms Gillard told reporters in New York.

"We are encouraged by the support we've received around the world, but this is a tight, close contest and I will be engaged in direct advocacy during the course of the week.

"It's certainly in Australia's national interest to be on the Security Council. It is at the core of what the UN does."

Foreign Minister Bob Carr has played down Australia's chances of success, saying Finland and Luxembourg began campaigning six years before Australia.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd announced Australia would compete for a seat in 2008 and spent a good deal of his time as foreign minister lobbying nations for support.

Senator Carr told Insiders on Sunday that it was difficult for Australia to win international ballots because we did not have the advantage of being a part of a major bloc.

"Win or lose, I'd argue the process of competing for this position ... has been good for Australia, good for our engagement with the world," he said.

"It's intensified our diplomacy. We've learnt more about many countries and they've learnt more about us."

'Time better spent'

Australia last held a Security Council seat in the mid-1980s.

The non-permanent seat has a two-year term that runs from 2013 to 2015 and the ballot will be held next month.

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has told Macquarie Radio the Government has been too focused on the Security Council bid and distracted from regional issues such as the relationship with Indonesia.

"It has cost money. Worse, it's distorted our priorities over the last few years as so much time and effort goes into this and not into managing the relationships which are absolutely vital for our future," he said.

"As I said, the PM's several days in New York would be far better spent in Jakarta.

"Rather than talking to African countries trying to drum up the numbers to get us a temporary seat on the UN Security Council, she should be in Jakarta talking to president Yudhoyono about how we can cooperate better with the Indonesians which is putting our border protection hopelessly under the pump."

But Treasurer Wayne Swan has called for Mr Abbott to retract his comments and apologise.

"If Mr Abbott had bothered to check his facts, he'd know that the president is in actually New York at the moment."

Topics: world-politics, federal-government, foreign-affairs, united-states, australia

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