South Africa has assumed the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council for January while the council also welcomes five new non-permanent members for 2012-13 and bids farewell to five other countries that have completed their two-year terms. The five new members are Pakistan, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, and Togo, which replace Brazil, Lebanon, Bosnia, Nigeria, and Gabon, who served in 2010 and 2011. South African U.N. Ambassador Baso Sangqu told reporters that a special focus of his country's presidency of the council will be a high-level debate on U.N.-Africa Union cooperation. He said the United Nations needs to strengthen its relationship with regional organizations.
