Australia developing strategy for UN bid
Updated
Australia's foreign affairs department says it can't say how much Australia's bid for a seat on the United Nations Security Council will cost, but an official has rejected reports that it could be between $US28 million and $US38 million.
Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, announced in March that Australia wants to be elected to the Security Council in 2012.
The deputy secretary of the foreign affairs department, Doug Chester, says he doesn't want to give away the tactics Australia will use to campaign for the seat against other nations including Luxembourg and Finland.
"The strategy is being developed," he said.
"I think it's worthwhile to develop a note of caution that we are in a contest here and I don't think its wise to be indicating to those we are in the contest with what our strategies are to beat them.
"So I think we need to be somewhat circumspect in describing the strategy that we maybe are going to follow."
