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Joaquin Monserrate, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Barbados. (iWN photo)
Joaquin Monserrate, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Barbados. (iWN photo)
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The United States Embassy in Barbados says St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ bid to become a non-permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council is “a great opportunity for the Caribbean to belong to that body”.

“We would hope that St. Vincent represents, again, the values of the Caribbean: its strong support for democracy not just in Venezuela but worldwide in its concerns about a violent and aggressive attempt to lord over oceans or territory in the South China seas and its adherence to the rule of law,” Joaquin Monserrate, deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Barbados told iWitness News on Thursday.

“So we welcome the arrival of a Caribbean brother to the Security Council,” the diplomat said.

The UN Security Council is composed of 15 members: five permanent members (China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.

More than 60 United Nations Member States have never been members of the Security Council, and SVG is making is first bid this year, after announcing a decade ago its decision to do so.

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A state that is a member of the United Nations but not of the Security Council may participate, without a vote, in its discussions when the council considers that country’s interests to be affected.

Both members and non-members of the United Nations, if they are parties to a dispute being considered by the council, may be invited to take part, without a vote, in the council’s discussions; the council sets the conditions for participation by a non-member state.

To become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, a state must secure the support of two thirds of the members of the UN General Assembly.

iWitness News noted to Monserrate that he was speaking as if Kingstown had already secured the two-thirds majority support.

“If it happens, we welcome the members and we would look forward to working with St. Vincent on a constructive agenda,” he said.

Asked if Washington would support Kingstown’s bid, the envoy said the United States never states who it supports.

“But I think any of the states with which we have excellent relations would be worthy of our support.”

Asked if he considers the relationship with Kingstown to be excellent at this time, he said:

“I think St. Vincent is a great partner and the prime minister will be the first one to tell you it’s a great partner. We just showed today on resilience, disaster management, on law enforcement, it’s a great bulwark on China’s aggressive expansion. We just wish that it could stand for the same values it defends elsewhere in the case of Venezuela,” Monserrate said in the interview, which took place after his embassy deployed two satellite phones to Kingstown for use during the hurricane season. 

9 replies on “SVG’s Security Council bid ‘a great opportunity for the Caribbean’ — US”

  1. This is double speak from the tone of his conversation , the USA will never support St Vincent bid . Our progressive stand on the Venezuela issues is another reason why they will not support us. Mark my words.

  2. C ben-David says:

    Will never happen given SVG’s support of Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other vile dictatorships.

  3. Ben I can assure you if we were to be elected as one of the non permanent members of the UN, the media will decend on us and highlight our pot holes. The old adage , the higher the monkey climbs the more the behind is exposed.

  4. As Moscow withdraws hundreds of its key defence advisors from Venezuela, leaving its strong man Maduro without some of his main military defence specialist, how would our St Vincent and the Grenadines U.N rhetoric evolve we are yet to learn?

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7098393/Moscow-withdraws-hundreds-defense-advisers-Venezuela-just-scores-left-country.html

    Our U.N rhetoric that so vehemently supports this Venezuelan tyrant against his people, is another question for us Vincentians, a question for us on top of that most salient one that is, of why this grandstanding of ours, in seeking that UN seat, when there are such pressing matters for us as an impoverished nation here at home.

    Yes even more pressing and important matters such as our Government’s lack of creating that environment for the finding of work for an “out of work workforce” and that of the upgrading and improving of our country’s outdated and failing infrastructures.

    Is this a case of us being just a little guillemot deluding ourselves in thinking that we are a large black swan?

    This reminds me of Don Quixote, that Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote’s ‘Delusions’ is an excellent read for El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha, sure loses his sanity.

    Ambrose Bierce tells us that “All are lunatics, but he who can analyse his delusions is called a philosopher.” Yet who in a population of hungry dunces will or even could ever philosophise?

  5. James H, I have Quixote library, been collecting for 35 years in all languages, first editions.

    Mr Montserrat, with all due respect, many Vincentians would not agree with you. SVG has become undemocratic both inside and outside parliament under thsi ULP regime.

    Under the Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Unity Labour Party in SVG, about 25% of the Vincentian electorate has been bribed with between twenty and fifty million US dollars worth of building materials to vote ULP before the last three elections. Although the elections were declared fair and free, the bribery aspect has never been put into the equation. Also, there are still court proceedings in the appeal courts regarding the last election when it is alleged fraud took place with the voting procedure and ballot boxes in two constituencies.

    https://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/2019/04/08/letter-have-the-ulp-dr-gonsalves-and-vincentian-police-turned-themselves-and-half-of-the-citizenship-into-criminals/

    Gonsalves is a supporter of Nicholas Maduro, as he was a supporter of Hugo Chavez. He is a supporter of Cuba and its communist system, indeed a friend of the Castro’s and Maduro. Do you honestly expect him to change his spots and dump them and adopt the US point of view? He frequents those countries being a signatory to ALBA.

    ALBA members signed a joint decree to support each other politically and militarily; Gonsalves will never change that undertaking. I believe he and his ULP ‘dogs’ as he and his cousin Julian Francis call their SVG followers will fight in the Venezuelan trenches to repel a Venezuelan invasion by the US or any coalition.

    He will not support any US action that he does not approve; you can be sure of that.

    God help the UN if SVG gets a seat on the Security Council, as currently being fought for. Gonsalves will be seen as the emperor of the Marxist led governments in the Americas and the Caribbean and will wreak havoc in the whole hemisphere. SVG ULP Government is lead and made up of extremist thinking people., with all due respect, many Vincentians would not agree with you. Under the Dr. Ralph Gonsalves Unity Labour Party in SVG, the electorate has been bribed with between twenty and fifty million US dollars worth of building materials to vote ULP before the last three elections. Although the elections were declared fair and free, the bribery aspect has never been put into the equation. Also, there are still court proceedings in the appeal courts regarding the last election when it is alleged fraud took place with the voting procedure and ballot boxes in two constituencies.

    https://www.caribbeannewsnow.com/2019/04/08/letter-have-the-ulp-dr-gonsalves-and-vincentian-police-turned-themselves-and-half-of-the-citizenship-into-criminals/

    Gonsalves is a supporter of Nicholas Maduro, as he was a supporter of Hugo Chavez. He is a supporter of Cuba and its communist system, indeed a friend of the Castro’s and Maduro. Do you honestly expect him to change his spots and dump them and adopt the US point of view? He frequents those countries being a signatory to ALBA.

    ALBA members signed a joint decree to support each other politically and militarily; Gonsalves will never change that undertaking. I believe he and his ULP ‘dogs’ as he and his cousin Julian Francis call their SVG followers will fight in the Venezuelan trenches to repel a Venezuelan invasion by the US or any coalition.

    He will not support any US action that he does not approve; you can be sure of that.

    God help the UN if SVG gets a seat on the Security Council, as currently being fought for. Gonsalves will be seen as the emperor of the Marxist led governments in the Americas and the Caribbean and will wreak havoc in the whole hemisphere. SVG ULP Government is lead and made up of extremist thinking people.

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