Sudan loses voting rights at UN

Sudan has lost its right to vote at the United Nations General Assembly for failing to pay annual financial dues to the international organisation. The UN reported on its website that on January 21 there were 15 member states -- including Sudan -- that were in arrears in payment of financial contributions under the terms of Article 19 of the UN Charter, which states that “a member state in arrears in the payment of its dues for two preceding years should lose its right to vote in the General Assembly.” An exception may be allowed if the member state can show that conditions beyond its control contributed to its inability to pay. Other countries that have been sanctioned include Cape Verde, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Kyrgyzstan, Marshall Islands, Saint Lucia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Vanuatu, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. In a letter dated January 15, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon informed the General Assembly president of the affected nations. The letter, however, says that these member states can rectify the situation by making a payment "so that they remain below the gross amount assessed for the preceding two full years [2011 and 2012].” Therefore Sudan would need to pay a sum of $347,879 to lift the voting ban. This month, UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky revealed that Sudan had fallen foul of Article 19 in early 2012 but that sufficient payments were made afterwards, rectifying the situation. "As of January 4, Sudan has arrears of approximately $1m," Nesirky said. Speaking to Arabstoday, Sudan’s Ambassador at the UN Daffalla al-Haj Ali Othman said he is only responsible for diplomatic missions, and was not aware of any financial issues. Foreign Ministry undersecretary Rahmatallah Othman said that his department has contacted Sudan’s Finance Ministry, asking it to send required payments while explaining the “legal repercussions that could happen if the Ministry fails to pay international dues in time.”