Arabs to block Canberra’s UN push

Hashem Yousseff, chief of cabinet for Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa, told The Australian Canberra kept "bad company" at the UN, where it often opposes anti-Israel resolutions in alliance with the US, Canada and small Pacific island states.

Australia's support for Israel, he said, was "one of the elements that will be taken into consideration" by the 22-member Arab League in deciding whether to support Australia's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.

Mr Yousseff said the Arab nations would consider how different candidates affected their interests. "For us, the Arab-Israeli issue is an important part of the consideration."

Canberra has invested huge political, diplomatic and financial resources in its bid for one of 10 non-permanent Security Council seats.

But Mr Yousseff's comments indicate it will be difficult for Australia to out-poll the European nations, which are regularly more critical of Israel.

Australia has not held a seat on the Security Council for more than 20 years.

Mr Rudd has cast his foreign policy as consisting of three pillars - the US alliance, engagement with Asia and leadership in multilateral organisations. A Security Council seat would be the crowning achievement of the multilateral pillar.

The Security Council seat will be voted on by all 192 UN members. Although the Arab League represents only 22 of them, it often votes at the UN in alliances with the African Union and with the Non-Aligned Movement.

Determined opposition from any of these blocs makes an Australian bid unlikely to succeed. It was to avoid blackmail on policy issues such as this that the Howard government abandoned its attempt to win a seat in 1996.

Further evidence of Arab opposition to Australia's bid emerges in an extravagantly worded letter from the Syrian ambassador in Canberra, Tamman Sulaiman, to Mr Rudd.

The letter, dated November 26 last year, strongly attacks expressions of concern in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's annual report about a clandestine Syrian nuclear program, and blasts the Rudd government for its silence over the Israeli nuclear program.

Mr Sulaiman accuses the Australian government of following an "Israeli concoction" in expressing concern about the Syrian nuclear program.

He makes the link between Canberra's support of Israel and Arab opposition to its Security Council bid explicit when he writes: "The main challenge that lies ahead of Australia as a candidate for Security Council membership is to deal with international problems evenhandedly and within the framework of international legality.

"The Syrian Arab Republic does not expect Australia, the peace-loving and responsible member of the United Nations, to accept double or multiple standards when it comes to the Israel state-sponsored terrorism, which is the main threat to peace and security in the world."

But the ambassador goes on to express appreciation for Australia changing its vote on two resolutions to be more critical of Israel.

Under the Rudd government, Canberra has changed its position on several resolutions from one supportive of Israel to one critical. This has earned criticism from Australia's Jewish community and from within the wider foreign policy debate.

However, Australia still supports Israel in the overwhelming majority of resolutions. In a January letter from Mr Sulaiman to Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, Damascus complains bitterly of Australia voting alone with the US, Canada, Israel itself and four Pacific island states against two anti-Israel resolutions.

On the positive side, Mr Yousseff said that he would explore a more formal dialogue mechanism between Australia and the Arab League.

This is likely to be at the ministerial level. The Rudd government last year announced a ministerial-level dialogue with the Gulf Co-operation Council, but this dialogue has resulted in no meetings so far.