LIBYA ASSUMES PRESIDENCY OF SECURITY COUNCIL

Former pariah Libya becomes UN Security Council President (Haaretz)
Libya took over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday in a major step back to global respectability after decades as a pariah of the West.

As president, Libya's ambassador to the UN is obliged to maintain contacts with all of the world body's member states, including Israel - with which it currently has no diplomatic relations. Diplomatic sources, however, doubted on Tuesday whether Libya would act so with reference to Israel.

The North African country was elected in October, as were Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia and Vietnam, to sit on the council in 2008-09 after the United States, which foiled two earlier bids by Tripoli, decided not to block it this time.

By an alphabetical accident, Libya becomes president of the 15-nation body from its very first day as a member, succeeding Italy. Each country is president for a month, the rotation going in English alphabetical order of names.

... AN ISRAEL IS STILL INELIGIBLE.