"We must not let this election to the Security Council lead to a false sense of having arrived," Foreign Minister Shunmugam Jayakumar said in a statement.

"We are a small country with limited capability, having to survive and operate in an uncertain world. Our election to the Security Council does not alter that fact."

He said the reality was that the five permanent members of the council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- played the dominant role, each of them with veto powers.

But Jayakumar said Singapore would do its best to "make useful contributions" in the council, the most powerful organ on security issues under the United Nations.

Singapore, Colombia and Ireland were elected unopposed by the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to the Security Council. Their term will last for two years starting on January 1. Seven other non-permanent member seats are to be decided.

Aside from the five permanent members, the council allows for 10 non-permanent members which are distributed on a regional basis.