The U.N. General Assembly is also expected to elect Bosnia and Herzegovina as Eastern Europe’s representatives, Nigeria and Gabon as Africa’s representatives and Brazil as Latin America’s representative.
The five countries will run unopposed, the first time since 2004, in their respective regions when voting takes place on Thursday at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.
Lebanon's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nawaf Salam said Lebanon's non-permanent member status "can be a catalyst for us to stabilize the country and strengthen our domestic consensus."
"We want to turn Lebanon from a plaza to a state … This is an opportunity we must seize," Salam said in remarks published by several Beirut dailies.
The Council currently has fifteen members , five of which are permanent members with veto power and they are the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France … and 10 non-permanent members who serve two-year terms and have no power to veto any resolution.
The 10 elected members enjoy all other aspects of council membership, including the right to propose resolutions, chair committees and hold the rotating council presidency for one-month periods.
Five countries are elected every year by the General Assembly to replace five retiring ones.
The Security Council, the world body's most powerful organ, is responsible for decisions on issues of war and peace, sanctions against nations and peacekeeping. Its decisions can be legally binding on all U.N. members.
Article 27 of the U.N. Charter states that a party to a dispute should abstain from voting on any draft, this is why Lebanon will not be able to vote on resolutions related to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries
Lebanon has not been a member since 1953-1954.
Thursday
11:45 pm A-Arabiyeh: Mystery still surrounds the $18.5 billion in currency and gold that Turkish customs has reportedly confiscated last July from an Iranian Truck that was reportedly on its way to Syria. The Iranian opposition is claiming the funds were being sent to Hezbollah via Syria. Turkey has reportedly transferred the funds to its central bank.
11:30 Editor in chief of Saudi Al Riyadh newspaper Turki el Sudeiri apologized for what he wrote in his editorial 2 days ago in which he asked : "Why doesn't Lebanon return to Syria"? . He called his article a big mistake ... short on vision and imagination"
11:00pm MP Nadim Gemayel : The Kataeb party is ready to sacrifice with one or 2 ministerial portfolios for the sake of building a state and Aoun remains the main obstacle
10:50 pm UN representative Williams said Lebanon’s election as non-permanent member of UNSC is an opportunity for Lebanese diplomacy
10:40pm President Michel Suleiman said on Thursday his country will defend Arab interests, after Lebanon was elected to the UN Security Council for the first time since 1954.
10:30 pm Lebanon was elected for a two-year term as non-permanent member in UN Security Council, "Lebanon won 180 votes out of 190," Lebanon FM Salloukh said and added "which proves the level of confidence the world has in Lebanon's credibility, and that Lebanon has a lot of friends around the world ."
8:30 pm PM-designate Saad Hariri is meeting with Speaker Berri at his residence in Ain al-Tinah
7:00pm Iran is vigorously denying rumors that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei fell into a coma and died this week, an Armenian news site reported
6:30 pm AFP: Libya freed 88 Islamists with Al-Qaeda links from Abu Slim prison in Tripoli. 45 members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and 43 members of other jihadist groups,
5:35pm LF leader Samir Geagea after meeting PLO representative in Lebanon Abbas Zaki: The opposition does not intend to help form the government unless it gains total control over it.
5:30pm Israel: Adopting Goldstone report would be 'reward for terror'
4:30 pm Hamas asks for more time before signing unity agreement AFP: Hamas has officially asked Egypt to give it two to three days to complete its internal consultations, before signing reconciliation deal with rival Fatah and wants to include a clause on the right to resist Israeli occupation.
2:05 pm President Michel Suleiman delivers a speech at Judicial Year opening ceremony: "If it is the state's responsibility to come up with a future plan for the judiciary in Lebanon, it is also your responsibility to restore public confidence in it," Suleiman told judges
1 :55pm Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said during opening ceremony of Judiciary Year: “We should push forward toward humanizing justice and not only through decreasing penalties and transferring the administration of prisons to the Justice Ministry in 2012, but also through enhancing legislation.”
1 :02pm President Suleiman, Speaker Berri, outgoing PM Siniora arrive at Mathaf area to participate in Judicial Year opening ceremony
11:40 Lebanon to be elected for two-year term as non-permanent member of UN Security Council
08:54 VOL: Armed group opens fire at Mashnouq daughter’s car in Tayouneh . No injuries reported. She miraculously survived , but her car and belongings were stolen
08:18 PM designate Saad Hariri meets Kataeb Party leader MP Amin Gemayel to discusses cabinet formation
Wednesday
5:10pm FPM leader MP Michel Aoun after the weekly meeting of Change and Reform bloc in Rabieh: The more Israel talks about Hezbollah the more we stick to Hezbollah. Syria does not want to reclaim Lebanon . We are still waiting to see if the cabinet lineup is in accordance with what we negotiated.
4:45pm A rocket-propelled grenade fell near al-Arabi street in Tripoli’s Qebbeh. No casualties reported.
4:25pm Caretaker Defense Minister Elias Murr met Army Commander General Jean Kahwaji heading an army command delegation where they discussed the general security issues. Murr saluted the army's efforts to safeguard domestic stability in all regions.
3:40pm Franjieh after meeting Hariri: The meeting was excellent and the new government will be formed in the next few days.
3:36pm The meeting between PM-designate Hariri and MP Suleiman Franjieh at Center House has ended.
3:35pm Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan: Lebanon is our haven and we do not accept an alternative nor we pledge allegiance to any other country.
