Libya, once a pariah of the West, is among the five countries announced by the United Nations to become the Security Council's new non-permanent members.
The president of the UN General Assembly announced that the country will join Burkina Faso, Vietnam, Costa Rica and Croatia to serve two-year terms starting in January 2008. Libya, Costa Rica and Croatia easily won their seats after their opponents, the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic abandoned the fight. The Security Council is the most influential body of the UN whose job it is to help solve the issues of war, economic sanctions and embargos. Its 15 member states occupy five permanent and ten temporary seats.