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Britain to assume rotating UN Security Council presidency for June

01 June 2013 02:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Britain is to assume the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council on Saturday for the month of June, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"Friday was the last day of Togo's presidency of the Security Council," deputy UN spokesman Eduardo del Buey told reporters here Friday.

A briefing by the new council president on the program of work for the month is expected next Tuesday, said the spokesman

Togo is the council president for May this year. It is the second time for Togo to assume the council presidency since it was elected as a non-permanent member of the most powerful UN body in October 2011.

Britain is one of the five permanent council members with veto power.

The presidency of the 15-nation council rotates among countries serving in the peace and security body on a monthly basis based on the English-language alphabetical order of the countries' names.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world at large.

The council is composed of five permanent members -- China, the United States, Britain, France, and the Russian Federation -- and 10 non-permanent members that are elected in groups of five to two- year terms on the council.