国际英语新闻：Five new rotating members elected to UN Security Council

Meanwhile, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the South African minister for international relations and cooperation, told reporters here spoke of "South Africa's determination to work with member states inside and outside the Council to keep Africa as a zone of peace, security, and development."

"We will not work in an isolationist fashion. We will work the way South Africa works, through collective leadership and consensus building," she added.

For his part, "we are looking forward to our work in the Security Council," German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. "We appreciate this opportunity to further engage for peace and security, for development and climate protection, for disarmament and non-proliferation."

To be elected a seat in the 15-nation body, a country needs to secure the support of two-thirds of the members which are present and voting, with a minimum of 128 votes if all 192 member states participate. Formal balloting is required for the Council elections, even if candidates have been endorsed by their regional troop and are running on a clean slate.

Other five non-permanent Council members of the Security Council are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria, which began their two-year terms on Jan. 1.

The Council has 15 members: five permanent members -- China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.

Each Security Council member has one vote. Decisions on procedural matters are made by an affirmative vote of at least nine of the 15 members. Decisions on substantial matters require nine vote and the absence of a negative vote by any of the five permanent members