Andrews wants more open Security Council

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, said yesterday it was essential that every UN member-state should have the opportunity to serve on the Security Council.

In a speech prepared for delivery at the eighth annual St Andrew's international model UN conference in Dublin, he said Ireland had declared its candidature for election to the Security Council in 2000 "with the aim of further enhancing our contribution to the work of the UN".

He felt that every member-state ought to have an opportunity to serve on the council so that it "better reflects the views of the broader membership of the UN".

Mr Andrews said that some criticisms of the UN were unfair. It had an annual budget which was less than that of the fire department of New York city, with resources of under $2 a year per person in the world compared to the $150 per person spent annually on armies and armaments worldwide.

However, he did agree that "instead of trying to do everything" the UN's development effort should set clearer priorities for action.

He pointed out that Ireland had been to the fore in recent efforts to ban landmines internationally, with this State being among the first to ratify the 1997 convention prohibiting their production and use. Ireland had also provided over £1 million in 1997 towards clearing landmines and the rehabilitation of victims.

The St Andrew's conference, which continues until tomorrow, is being attended by 760 delegates aged between 15 and 18. They come from 16 schools in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Morocco, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the US, along with representatives from 10 English and 19 Irish schools. Of the UN's 185 member-states, 116 are being represented by students from all over the world.