Five New Members Take Seats in UN Security CouncilIreland, Norway, Singapore, Colombia and Mauritius had become new members of the United Nations Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 1, 2001, UN spokesman's office said on Tuesday.Singapore takes over the 15-nation body's rotating presidency for the month of January, the spokesman's office said. The Security Council has 10 nonpermanent members, five of whom rotate each year, and five veto-bearing permanent members, namely China, Britain, France, Russia and the United States. The five new members join the other five nonpermanent members still on the council for another year which are Bangladesh, Jamaica, Mali, Tunisia and Ukraine. Leaving the council are Canada, the Netherlands, Argentina, Malaysia and Namibia. The Security Council, which is responsible for the world's peace and security, is the only UN body that can take mandatory political decisions that all 189 UN members states must follow. |
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