UN votes on new Secretary General

UNITED NATIONS – The UN security council yesterday voted on a successor to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, with South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon virtually certain to be the council’s candidate, although this is just the first key hurdle.

Under the UN charter, the 15-member security council makes a recommendation for the next secretary-general to the 192-member general assembly, which must give final approval. Ban, 62, topped four informal polls in the council, and in the last one he was the only candidate not to get a veto by one of the five permanent council members.After that result, the five other candidates dropped out of the race.So when council members meet behind closed doors on Monday morning, Ban will be the only candidate on the ballot.On the eve of the vote, North Korea announced it had conducted a nuclear test.The timing is certain to increase speculation that North Korea wanted to express its displeasure and opposition to Ban’s expected selection as the security council’s candidate to succeed Annan.North Korea’s announcement last Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was “the US extreme threat of a nuclear war” came a day after Ban topped the fourth informal poll.In last Monday’s straw poll, Ban won 14 favourable votes and one expressing no opinion.Most importantly, he won the support of the council’s five veto-wielding nations – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.If Ban prevails in Monday’s formal council vote and is then approved by the general assembly – which is widely expected – his selection will have been marked by unprecedented speed, consensus and calm.In years past, the choice of a UN chief, including Annan, has often meant rancorous negotiations, numerous ballots and handshake deals.From the beginning of the search for a new UN chief, security council members have said they wanted Annan’s successor chosen by the end of October so he or she would have a two-month transition before taking over the secretary-general’s job on January 1.By tradition, most countries agree that the next secretary-general should come from Asia because of a tradition that the post rotate among the regions of the world.The last Asian secretary-general was Burma’s U Thant, who served from 1961-71.Ban would be the eighth secretary-general in the United Nations’ 60-year history, overseeing an organisation with some 92 000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5bn annual budget.The world body’s mandate, however, is much broader than peace and security issues and includes fighting hunger, helping refugees, slowing the spread of HIV-Aids and promoting education, development and human rights.Nampa-APBan, 62, topped four informal polls in the council, and in the last one he was the only candidate not to get a veto by one of the five permanent council members.After that result, the five other candidates dropped out of the race.So when council members meet behind closed doors on Monday morning, Ban will be the only candidate on the ballot.On the eve of the vote, North Korea announced it had conducted a nuclear test.The timing is certain to increase speculation that North Korea wanted to express its displeasure and opposition to Ban’s expected selection as the security council’s candidate to succeed Annan.North Korea’s announcement last Tuesday that it would conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was “the US extreme threat of a nuclear war” came a day after Ban topped the fourth informal poll.In last Monday’s straw poll, Ban won 14 favourable votes and one expressing no opinion.Most importantly, he won the support of the council’s five veto-wielding nations – Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.If Ban prevails in Monday’s formal council vote and is then approved by the general assembly – which is widely expected – his selection will have been marked by unprecedented speed, consensus and calm.In years past, the choice of a UN chief, including Annan, has often meant rancorous negotiations, numerous ballots and handshake deals.From the beginning of the search for a new UN chief, security council members have said they wanted Annan’s successor chosen by the end of October so he or she would have a two-month transition before taking over the secretary-general’s job on January 1.By tradition, most countries agree that the next secretary-general should come from Asia because of a tradition that the post rotate among the regions of the world.The last Asian secretary-general was Burma’s U Thant, who served from 1961-71.Ban would be the eighth secretary-general in the United Nations’ 60-year history, overseeing an organisation with some 92 000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5bn annual budget.The world body’s mandate, however, is much broader than peace and security issues and includes fighting hunger, helping refugees, slowing the spread of HIV-Aids and promoting education, development and human rights.Nampa-AP