United Nations Security Council Resolution 109

United Nations Security Council Resolution 109 was adopted on December 14, 1955. After being instructed by the General Assembly to consider the applications for membership of Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Ceylon, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Laos, Libya, Nepal, Portugal, Romania, and Spain, the Security Council recommended all 16 countries for admission to the United Nations.
The resolution was adopted by eight votes. Belgium, China and the United States abstained.

Background

The circumstances leading up to the adoption of Resolution 109 were described as a deadlock, resulting from the fact that certain UN applicants were supported by the Western bloc and opposed by the Eastern bloc, and vice versa. In particular, the Western bloc supported the admission of Italy, whereas the Eastern bloc supported the admission of Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary. The United States was the first to propose a resolution to the deadlock by considering the admission of potential member nations en bloc, or as a whole. However, it was subsequently determined by the International Court of Justice that it was inadmissible to make member state admission dependent on extraneous requirements, including the simultaneous admission of other potential member states. As a result, the text of Resolution 109 ultimately read:
thereby complying with the I.C.J.'s determination while procedurally voting on membership at once.