Spain: Prince Felipe wants UN Security Council seat

Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe promoted the country’s bid for a UN Security Council seat on Thursday during a meeting with ambassadors from 17 nations.

Prince Felipe met with the foreign diplomats who were in Madrid to attend the Cybersecurity: Global Answers for a Global Challenge forum organized by Spain’s foreign ministry.

Felipe reaffirmed his country’s commitment to peace and security in the use of information technologies and he raised the issue of Madrid’s Security Council candidacy to the diplomats.

Spain is seeking to secure one of the non-permanent positions on the UN Security Council.

Members will be elected in October for the 2015-2016 two-year period.

On Thursday a number of people attended the meeting. These included permanent representatives to the United Nations from Portugal, Estonia, Germany, Mexico, Malaysia, Montenegro, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Japan, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Mongolia and Liberia.

The UN ambassadors had met previously with Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria. The Deputy emphasized Spain’s qualifications for the Security Council post, describing the country as a “trustworthy and serious” member of the United Nations.

The cybersecurity forum began on Thursday in Madrid. It is the second in a series of three that Spain will host throughout June.

The forum is being held just a month after Spain was elected to send a representative to the UN Group of Government Experts on Cybersecurity.