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Remarks by U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday improved the outlook for Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to become the next UN secretary-general. Bush appeared to yield on the rotation principle for the top UN post, saying it was Asia's turn and ¡°we¡¯re really looking into the Far East right now.¡± The U.S. has so far said rotation is no iron rule.
The other main Asian candidates in the fray to succeed Secretary-General Kofi Annan are India¡¯s Shashi Tharoor, UN under-secretary general, Thailand¡¯s ex-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai, and Sri Lanka¡¯s Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN disarmament official. Ban is the only one from the ¡°Far East.¡± Observers say the UN Security Council will be reluctant to support Tharoor because of India¡¯s sheer size.
The U.S. exerts the biggest influence over who gets the job. It remains to be seen, however, whether discord between Seoul and the Washington-Tokyo axis over North Korea¡¯s missile test last week and the UN response to it would affect Ban¡¯s candidacy. Most experts say the issue will not weigh too heavy when the next UN secretary-general is selected.
A bigger question is Japan¡¯s response. With only a temporary seat on the Security Council, Tokyo is less influential, nor is it likely to oppose Ban despite strained ties between Japan and Korea. "Chances are that Japan will not oppose Ban's candidacy because it wants our support in becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council,¡± a government official here said. The Security Council is to start selection procedures in late July.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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