The Hindu News Update Service

United Nations (PTI): Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Libya, Costa Rica and Croatia will join the 15-member United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as non-permanent members for a two-year term on Tuesday.

They will replace Qatar, Congo, Ghana, Peru and Slovakia, which would complete their two-year term on Monday.

This will be the first time that Vietnam and Croatia will be serving on the Council. Vietnam had announced its decision to contest as early as 1997 and campaigned for almost a decade to get to the Council.

The Council has five veto-wielding permanent members and ten non-permanent members who are elected by the 192-member assembly for a two-year term on regional basis. Five of the non-permanent members retire each year.

Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa are due to complete their term by next year-end.

The composition of the Security Council in 2008 will be: United States, Russia, Britain, France, China (permanent members), Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama, South African (retiring on Dec. 31, 2008), Vietnam, Burkina Faso, Libya, Croatia and Costa Rica, which will begin two-term on January one.

This will the second term on the Council for Libya and Burkina Faso which had earlier been members in 1976-77 and 1984-85 respectively.

For Costa Rica, it will be the third term. It had served on the Council in 1974-75 and 1997-98.