Schwarzenberg to present report on UN vote failure to cabinet

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg is on Monday going to present a report to the cabinet on the Czech Republic's recent failure to win a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. The Czech Republic withdrew from the vote after the country's rival for the post Croatia gathered more support. It will occupy the post for two years, starting in 2009. Mr Schwarzenberg said there were several reasons Prague had lost the vote; however, he said, the fact the Czech Republic is to assume the presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2009 was not among them.