UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 002946

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO, IO/UNP, WHA/CAR SEARBY

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNGA UNSC DR
SUBJECT: DOMINICANS DECLARE FOR UN SECURITY COUNCIL, 2008-09


1. In a diplomatic note received by the Embassy on September
7, the Dominican Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally relayed
the Dominican Republic's candidacy for non-permanent
membership on the United Nations Security Council for the
period of 2008-09, with elections to be held during the 62nd
UN General Assembly in September 2007. Post assumes that the
Department does not wish to provide an answer to the
Dominicans at this early stage.


2. Following is an informal Embassy translation of the
notification. A copy of the original document has been
pouched to WHA/CAR.


3. Start translation:

(Title) Candidature of the Dominican Republic for
Non-Permanent Membership on the Security Council, 2008-2009

(Begin text) The Dominican Republic has presented its
candidacy for a position as non-permanent member of the
Security Council for the 2008-09 biennium.

Our country, one of the signers of the Constitutive Act of
the United Nations at the historic meeting in San Francisco
in 1945, has played a consistent role since then in every
request of the institution in the areas of human rights,
women's rights, refugees, economic and social rights, the
right to self-determination of peoples, the principal of
state sovereignty, and peace.

The Dominican Republic has been and is an active participant
in every request relating to our region, and likewise is a
member of the NAM and the Group of 77 plus China.

The Dominican Republic considers of particular importance the
maintenance of peace and security, but likewise considers
that the same cannot depend solely on timely military and
political operations, as we find both this problem and its
possible solutions to be based in sustainable development.

We believe it necessary, in order to maintain an adequate
equilibrium in the representation of an organ of such
political importance as the Security Council, that there
should be increased opportunities for regional blocks, such
as the Caribbean, and a more significant presence of groups
representative of the developing world, such as the NAM.

Our history of systematic participation in the United Nations
and its different requests confirms legitimacy to the
aspiration of the Dominican Republic to be a non-permanent
member of the Security Council, of which it has never been a
part. Our promise is to be a worthy representative of the
hemisphere and specifically the Caribbean subregion, as well
as the ideals that gave birth to our movement.

We are conscious of the importance that attaches to Security
Council membership and our country is disposed to take on the
responsibility to participate with a sprit of cooperation
and solidarity in the decisions taken for the maintenance of
world peace, democratic governance, respect for human rights,
and the struggle against poverty.

Taking into consideration the 61 years of experience and
activity in the United Nations and the right of geographic
representation and equality enjoyed by all Member States, the
Dominican Republic stands as a candidate, for the period
understood as falling between January 2008 and December 2009,
for a seat as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
August 2006

(End text)
HERTELL