One of the longest battles for a seat on the powerful
U.N. Security Council ended Tuesday with victory for Panama after U.S.-backed Guatemala and leftist Venezuela led by anti-American President Hugo Chavez withdrew to end a deadlock. The General Assembly’s overwhelming vote for Panama on the 48th ballot was greeted with loud applause by diplomats in the packed chamber, who had been trying since Oct. 12 to choose a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean to serve a two-year term on the U.N.’s most powerful body. Full Story