New York: China on Friday assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council for June.
Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the UN, took over the presidency from Agshin Mehdiyev, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the UN, Xinhua reported.
Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of peace and security in the world.
Li on Wednesday said that China will fulfil its duty as the rotating president of the Council in a fair, neutral way, so as to effectively maintain international peace.
The Council is expected to review some 30 issues, including those related to Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and the Middle East, as per its provisional work plan for June.
The Council presidency rotates among its members in the English alphabetical order of their names. Each president holds office for one calendar month. China previously assumed the presidency in March 2011.
The Security Council has 15 members, including five permanent members -- China, Britain, France, Russia and the US. The 10 non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms.
IANS
First Published: Saturday, June 02, 2012, 08:41