Kosovo's bid to join UNESCO fails; details of voting emerge

Kosovo's bid to join UNESCO fails; details of voting emerge

The countries that voted against were Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, China, Cyprus, Congo, Cuba, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritius, Mozambique, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Uganda, Palestine, Paraguay, Philippines, Syria, Moldova, the Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Democratic Republic of Lao, People's Democratic Republic of (North) Korea, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

Those who abstained included Algeria, Bangladesh, Barbuda, Bhutan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Egypt, Greece, Guinea-Bissau, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Central African Republic, the Republic of (South) Korea, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Vietnam, Zambia.

The countries in favor were Afghanistan, Albania, Germany, Andorra, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Denmark, Djibouti, El Salvador, UAE , Estonia, Macedonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Latvia, Liberia , Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malawi, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Nauru, Niger, Norway, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, the Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, the Dominican Republic, the Czech Republic, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Chad, Thailand, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen.

Earlier in the day, Serbia tabled a proposal to postpone a decision - but this proposal was rejected.

The request to allow Kosovo to join was explained as an issue "unrelated to recognizing Kosovo as a state or supporting its UN membership," while a vote in favor would "give citizens of Kosovo access to cultural values and education and support UNESCO's mission."

Serbia and others who opposed the request maintained that allowing Kosovo to join would represent "a politicization of the organization, and a violation of international law."