General Assembly Elects Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, Togo as Non-Permanent Members of Security Council

The General Assembly today elected Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for the next two years; but after nine rounds of voting, the seat allocated to a member from the Eastern European States was not filled, with Azerbaijan and Slovenia trading the leading edge.

Those elected will fill seats to be vacated on 31 December by Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria.  Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa will continue to serve as elected Council members during 2011, finishing the second year of their respective terms.  All new Council members will take their seats on 1 January 2012.

The five non-permanent members were to be elected according to the following pattern:  three from Africa and Asia-Pacific — with an understanding that two of those seats would go to African States — one from Eastern Europe, and one from Latin America and the Caribbean.  The three new members from Guatemala, Morocco and Pakistan were elected in the first round of voting.

With one vacancy remaining among the African and Asia-Pacific States and with no clear majority among the Eastern European States at the end of the second round of voting, the Assembly moved into a third round, in which Togo was elected from the African and Asian-Pacific States.  No Eastern European State during that round garnered sufficient votes.

In the six rounds that followed, Azerbaijan and Slovenia traded the lead in close votes.  In the final vote — pushing the meeting an hour past the designated deadline — a total of 191 votes were cast, with 113 in favour of Azerbaijan and 77 for Slovenia, with one abstention, and 127 being the required two-thirds majority to be elected.

The General Assembly will next convene at 10 a.m. on Monday, 24 October, to elect 18 members of the Economic and Social Council and to continue with elections for members of the Security Council.

First Round Voting Results

African and Asian-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	193
Required majority:	129
Number of votes obtained by country:
Morocco	151
Pakistan	129
Togo	119
Mauritania	98
Kyrgyzstan	55
Fiji	1
Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	193
Required majority:	129
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	74
Slovenia	67
Hungary	52
Latin American and Caribbean States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	2
Number of Members present and voting:	191
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Guatemala	191

Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, Guatemala, Morocco and Pakistan were elected to the Security Council for two-year terms, beginning on 1 January 2012.  As one seat remained to be filled from among the African and Asian-Pacific States, and one seat from the Eastern European States, a second round of voting was required.

Second Round Voting (First Restricted)

African and Asian-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	2
Number of Members present and voting:	191
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Togo	119
Mauritania	72
Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	5
Number of valid ballots:	188
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	187
Required majority:	125
Number of votes obtained by country:
Slovenia	97
Azerbaijan	90

With no country from the African and Asian-Pacific or the Eastern European States having received the required majority, the Assembly held a third ballot.

Third Round Voting (Second Restricted)

African and Asian-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Togo	131
Mauritania	61

Having obtained the required majority, Togo was elected to the Security Council for a term of two years to commence on 1 January 2012.

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Slovenia	99
Azerbaijan	93

With no country from the Eastern European States having received the required majority, the Assembly held a fourth ballot.

Fourth Round Voting (Third Restricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	192
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	192
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	191
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Slovenia	98
Azerbaijan	93

With no country from the Eastern European States having received the required majority, the Assembly held a fifth round of balloting, which would be open to any Member State from the Eastern European region except for the outgoing member of the Security Council, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Fifth Round Voting (First Unrestricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	98
Slovenia	93
Hungary	1

As the result of the balloting was inconclusive, one seat remained to be filled among the Eastern European States and a second round of unrestricted balloting took place.

Sixth Round Voting (Second Unrestricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	96
Slovenia	95
Estonia	1

As one seat remained to be filled among the Eastern European States following the sixth round of voting, the Assembly proceeded to a seventh round.

Seventh Round Voting (Third Unrestricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	100
Slovenia	91
Estonia	1

Another inconclusive round of voting led to an eighth round of balloting, once again restricted to Azerbaijan and Slovenia.

Eighth Round Voting (Fourth Restricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	191
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	191
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	190
Required majority:	127
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	110
Slovenia	80

Since the result of the ballot was inconclusive, Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser said that, due to the late hour, the ninth round of voting would take place on Monday, 24 October, following election of members to the Economic and Social Council.

The representative of Azerbaijan took the floor to request that the meeting be extended by one hour to continue with balloting.

President Al-Nasser, noting that the meeting had already been adjourned, said that Slovenia had requested suspension of the voting, and, since interpretation services were no longer available, the meeting would resume on Monday morning.

Responding, Azerbaijan’s delegate said that he had made an earlier request to the Secretariat to extend the meeting.

The Assembly President replied that, given that the time allocated to the meeting had already run out, and that interpretation services were no longer available, he would leave it to Member States to decide whether to continue.

The delegate of France said that his delegation was unwilling to proceed without simultaneous interpretation.

The representative of the Russian Federation, noting that his delegation had not heard a proposal to proceed without simultaneous interpretation, requested that the President ask that the interpreters stay on.

The President agreed to extend the meeting for one more round of voting.

Ninth Round of Voting (Fifth Restricted)

Eastern European States
Number of ballot papers:	191
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	191
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	190
Required majority:	127
Number of votes obtained by country:
Azerbaijan	113
Slovenia	77

European aid workers kidnapped in Algeria

Three European aid workers – two Spanish and an Italian – at a refugee camp in western Algeria have been kidnapped by suspected al-Qaeda-linked separatist militants.

A colleague of one of the Spanish hostages said over Spanish radio that "several gunshots were heard" and two people were wounded during the kidnapping from the Rabuni camp near Tindouf, mainly inhabited by Sahrawi refugees from Western Sahara who seek greater autonomy.

The information ministry of Western Sahara's Polisario Front independence movement said the Spanish hostage and a Sahrawi guard were wounded.

In the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott, a security official told the AFP news agency that al-Qaeda's north Africa wing was behind the kidnapping.

They "were taken hostage by elements of AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) under the authority of Moktar Bel Moktar (alias Belewar, the Algerian leader of an AQIM branch," the source said, without detailing the circumstances of the kidnapping.

The Polisario Front's envoy to Algiers said he "directly accused" AQIM of carrying out the kidnapping shortly before midnight on Saturday.

The Spanish hostages were identified as Ainhoa Fernandez de Rincon and Enric Gonyalons – who was wounded.

The Italian foreign ministry identified the Italian as Rossella Urru, who works for the Italian Committee for the Development of Peoples (CISP).

"In co-operation with the Italian Embassy in Algeria, (Rome) has immediately activated all channels useful in arriving at a positive outcome and is in contact with the relatives and with the CISP," the ministry said in a statement.

Trinidad Jiminez, the Spanish foreign minister, said his government was working with regional counterparts "with great caution (so that) the aid workers are freed as soon as possible."

A former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975.

Morocco has proposed broad autonomy under its sovereignty and refuses to countenance any notion of independence, claiming that the Western Sahara is an historical part of its territory.

Morocco activists call for election boycott

The Associated Press

Published: Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011 - 1:02 pm

RABAT, Morocco -- Thousands of Moroccans have demonstrated in dozens of cities and towns across the country calling for a boycott of next month's parliamentary elections.

The pro-democracy activists maintain the elections in the North African kingdom will only give credibility to an undemocratic regime.

King Mohammed VI appeared to have defused the country's pro-democracy movement by amending the constitution to strengthen the prime minister and parliament.

Activists maintain the changes are only cosmetic and real power still resides with the king and his counselors.

Sunday's demonstrations saw 3,000 protest in the capital Rabat and another 8,000 in Casablanca, the kingdom's largest city.

The golden oil benefits

The beauty secret of Argan oil lies in its unique composition. The amazing Argan oil is rich in natural antioxidants, essential fatty acids, carotenoids, ferulic acid, sterols, polyphenols. It also contains remarkably high levels of vitamin E and Squalene. Argan Oil does not clog pores and has an amazingly diverse range of cosmetic benefits for the skin, hair and nails. Here are a few benefits in combination with the unique compositions of this amazing oil:

1. HIGH VITAMIN E CONTENT

Vitamin E is extremely good for skin care and skin health. It is helpful in the prevention and treatment of sunburns, and it also intensifies the effectiveness of sunscreens. Aside from these, Vitamin E is also linked to helping prevent and treat scars as well as healing damaged skin. Vitamin E is also popular for helping prevent skin cancer mainly because of its sun protection quality.

2. GOOD SOURCE OF ANTIOXIDANTS

Antioxidants have anti-aging effects. They protect skin cells from chemicals, drugs, pollutants, and ultra violet rays that produce free radicals that attack healthy cells and causes skin damage. Antioxidants help your skin retain its youthful glow, reduce wrinkle lines and stretch marks, and help skin stay moisturized.

3. HEALTHY SOURCE OF PHYTOSTEROLS

Phytosterols have both an anti-irritation and an anti-inflammatory action. They are good for scar tissues and will help repair and condition both skin and hair. Aside from these, phytosterols also improves dry skin, help repair damaged skin including scars and keloids. It also has components such as stigmasterol that help lighten skin and prevents some types of skin cancer.

4. RICH IN UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS

Also a great moisturizer, unsaturated fatty acids are great for the skin. They help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and these acids also have an anti-aging effect. Unsaturated fatty acids also work wonders for your hair by instantly helping soften it. They help prevent split ends. Unsaturated fatty acids also reduce joint pains and stiffness.

5. HAS ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS THAT HELP RESTORE SKIN

Argan oil is believed to clean up and restore all sorts of skin conditions such as: eczema, psoriasis, dry skin, acne, wrinkles, and other skin issues.

Climbing goats threaten oil-rich trees

Climbing goats threaten oil-rich trees

The tricky Constitutional Reforms

North Africa is not a homogenous bloc of Arab societies, struggling in unison for one pan-Arab cause.

U.S. media coverage of the Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt has largely ignored the mass movement of North Africa's ethnic minorities.

But Moroccan Berbers that are 30% of the total population have been on the streets all along, protesting in what they are calling a new Printemps Amazigh or Berber Spring, not to be confused with its Arab counterpart.

Moroccans voted on constitutional reforms today at some 40,000 polling stations across the nation. There is little doubt that the vote will come out in favor of Moroccan King Mohamed VI's gestures toward change.

Among the reforms, the constitutional review will raise the Berber language or Tamzight to official language status, meaning that it will now be taught in Moroccan schools in addition to Modern Standard Arabic.

But the nation's Berbers say the gesture won't help their political marginalization by what they believe is an Arab-dominated government.

"This is a symbolic measure. But there are still those in government who have long worked against the integration of Amazighs (the Berber word for Berber) politically and these measures won't do much about them," said Ahmed Adghirni, the front man for the Berber struggle in Morocco, in a phone interview from Rabat, Morocco's capital.

Adghirni started the Parti Démocratique Amazigh Marocain (PDAM), a political party to represent Moroccan Berbers in 2005, although his gestures to represent Berbers politically started in 1993.

The party was banned in 2007 and formally dissolved by Morocco's judiciary in 2008, on the grounds that race-based parties are illegal in the North African nation. Shortly after, the party reunited under the name Parti Ecologiste Marocain, but remains virtually inactive in Moroccan government.

"The activists in my party are trying to safeguard our rights. We are deprived of participation in Moroccan politics. We are looking for a favorable political climate to continue with our activities," said Adghirni.

Although they are largely unimpressed by the constitutional changes, Berber activists expect some improvement in their integration into mainstream Moroccan society.

"There are some Berber people in the Atlas mountains that come to live in the cities, but they can't make it in Moroccan cities, because they can't speak [Arabic]. Now the Arabs in Morocco need to learn Berber as they do Arabic," said Slimane, a 23-year-old Berber activist and documentarian in Marrakech, who declined to publish his full name out of fear of retribution from the anti-Berber Arab Islamists who have threatened Ahmed Adghirni's life on several occasions.

Both Slimane and Adghirni are practicing Muslims.

Despite the indisputable benefits, Slimane says that an official Berber language won't change popular Moroccan Arab attitudes towards Berbers.

"The Berbers are the ice cream in society -- not taken seriously, but a kind of novelty," he said, explaining that while Berber culture is sold to international tourists in jewelry and couscous platters, Morocco has made no gestures to ensure their political representation.

Berbers consider themselves the indigenous people of North Africa and predate the Arab conquest of North Africa. Berber populations stretch from Morocco to Egypt and as far into Sub-Saharan Africa as Nigeria.

Official Moroccan figures say Berbers make up 40 percent of the nation's population, but analysts say the number ranges from 60 to 70 percent. Berber activists say that Moroccan government statistics attempt to downplay the number of Berbers in the country to maintain an Arab majority.

Unlike Slimane, some Berber activists are outraged by the gesture to quiet Berber activists with what they call a token change in the Moroccan constitution.

"This is a trick to calm Berber organizations," said Hassan from East Morocco. Although the Berber's movement for integration and respect in Moroccan society has long outrun the recent Arab spring, the Jasmine Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt provoked a series of protests this year, calling for democracy, and more specifically, political representation of Morocco's majority-cum-minority.

Hassan said that Berber activists are not convinced by the king's gesture toward change.

"Morocco is a Berber country," he said, "not Arab."

"This is only the beginning of the Berber fight. There won't be any respect for us unless we are represented in government."

Berber militants like Hassan are calling for self-rule.

"There won't be any more legitimacy [in the current government] unless it's run under a Berber system."

But Adghirni, the Berber political representative, has been weathered by death threats from pan-Arabist Islamist organizations.

"Sometimes I think about leaving Morocco, because my personal life and my rights are constantly menaced," said Adghirni.

"But I have a duty to my people -- The Berber activists and everyday people. I'm obliged to stand by them."