Liu Zhenmin, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, fills in his ballot paper at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, October 17, 2008. The United Nations General Assembly held the 28th plenary meeting to elect the five non-permanent members of the Security Council on Friday. Austria, Japan, Mexico, Uganda and Turkey were elected from seven candidate countries. [Xinhua]

Austria, Japan, Mexico, Uganda and Turkey were elected new non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council on Friday.

All 192 members of the United Nations General Assembly attended the secret ballot, with Japan beating Iran 158-32 to get the seat for Asia Group. Japan replaces Indonesia in the Security Council on January 1, 2009.

Mohammad Khazaee, permanent representative of Iran to the United Nations, casts his ballot at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, October 17, 2008. [Xinhua]

Austria and Turkey defeated Iceland for the two open seats for the Western European and Others Group, garnering 133 and 151 votes respectively. They will replace Belgium and Italy.

Uganda and Mexico, which won the seats unopposed for the Africa and Latin America groups respectively, will replace South Africa and Panama.

Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu said his country will play an active and constructive role in the Security Council and make "utmost effort" to contribute to the resolution of conflicts and to post-conflict peace-building and peacekeeping.

Yukio Takasu, permanent representative of Japan to the United Nations, smiles after Japan were elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council at the UN headquarters in New York, the United States, October 17, 2008. [Xinhua]

This will be the 10th time that Japan has been elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik described Vienna's victory as an "expression of respect and appreciation for the traditional Austrian foreign policy priorities".

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan of Turkey said the world is going through difficult times and that Turkey will be continuing to make its contribution in the new setting.

Congratulating Austria and Turkey on their victory, Icelandic Foreign Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir expressed disappointment that some countries that had promised to vote for Iceland did not keep their words.

"But that is life, that's how it works," she said. "This is not the end of the world."

Elections for non-permanent members of the Security Council are held by secret ballot in the General Assembly, and a winning candidate requires a two-thirds majority of ballots of members present and voting. Formal balloting takes place even in those regions where there is only one candidate per available seat.

The council's five other non-permanent members, who were elected last year and whose terms end on December 31, 2009, are Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam. The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2008)