State Department Noon Briefing, October 10, 2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
DAILY PRESS BRIEFING
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2000 1:15 P.M.
(ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
Q: I don't know if the second round vote -- I don't know if it has
taken place yet, but you have lost your bid to install Mauritius on
the Security Council. I am just wondering -- I don't know if this has
happened yet, but Tanzania is expected to put itself forward, and I
asked this question last week, is the US -- no, they didn't get 2/3.
Mauritius beat Sudan, but they didn't get 2/3 of the vote.
Q: Ten short.
MR. BOUCHER: Now, hold on. I want to give him the news. I'm better
wire service here.
Q: This is what had happened.
MR. BOUCHER: All right. Do you want to know what has happened?
Q: Yes.
MR. BOUCHER: Okay. Mauritius got 113 votes; they needed 112. That
makes Mauritius a member of the Security Council in the Africa seat.
We certainly welcome that. As you know, we thought that they were well
qualified, in view of their democratic elections and their status in
the region, that they can be an able representative of Africa. We have
worked very hard on this, and the Secretary in particular worked very
hard on this, as well as Ambassador Holbrooke and our people at the
mission in New York.
Q: Can you tell us the difference between the first vote and the
second vote?
Q: Who did you speak to?
MR. BOUCHER: We worked very hard on it.
Q: This wasn't the second round?
MR. BOUCHER: I don't know if it was the second or third, but
apparently that is what has happened.
Q: How much aid did it cost the US?
MR. BOUCHER: Look, we have worked this intensively, diplomatically,
both at the Secretary's level and through our mission in New York. Our
mission was working very hard today on this, and has all the way in
the lead-up to this. Ambassador Holbrooke had made this a key issue.
We felt that Sudan was uniquely unqualified for the seat, and that
Mauritius, on the other hand, would be an excellent representative for
Africa, and we look forward to working with them on the Council.
Q: Richard, there has been some talk that if Sudan were to lose the
bid for the Security Council, that the Council would then consider the
lifting the sanctions against Sudan. Is the US prepared to consider
lifting the sanctions?
MR. BOUCHER: We have always said that in order to arrive at the
lifting of sanctions on Sudan, they need to fulfill the quite specific
conditions that are in the resolution, and our view is that they
haven't done that at this point.
(The briefing was concluded at 2:25 p.m.)
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