Lithuania assumes rotating UN Security Council presidency for February

 Lithuania on Saturday assumed the rotating presidency of the U.N. Security Council for February. Raimonda Murmokaite, Lithuanian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, took over the role from Jordanian representative Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zedi Al-Hussein. The European country was elected by the General Assembly as a non-permanent member to the most powerful U.N. body for the 2014-2015 term. During its presidency, Lithuania will focus on the protection of civilians in conflict situations and the rule of law. The U.N. Security Council is composed of five permanent members - China, the United States, Britain, France, and Russia - and 10 non-permanent members. The presidency of the council rotates among countries on a monthly basis according to the English-language alphabetical order of the countries' names.