Czech Republic pulls out of vote for place on UN Security Council

The Czech Republic withdrew its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council after failing to secure sufficient backing in a vote on Tuesday. The announcement was made by Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar. The Czech Republic had been in direct competition with Croatia for a two-year stint on the Security Council due to begin in 2009. However, neither country secured a place. In a first round of voting in New York the Czech Republic received 91 out of 186 votes, while Croatia got 95 - both falling short of the necessary two-thirds majority. Czech officials had expected to finish in front of Croatia in the first round, and hoped to advance in further voting.

The Czech Republic has held a non-permanent place on the UN Security Council once - in the period 1994-1995.