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Pakistan options open on U.N. post

Nirupama Subramanian

"Asia is divided and we are not responsible for that"

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday strongly hinted it would throw its hat in the ring for the U.N. Secretary-General elections but is not yet saying anything for certain. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told The Hindu Pakistan was "keeping all options open."

Asked whether Islamabad would support the candidature of Shashi Tharoor, who India named last week as its candidate for the post, if it had none of its own, Ms. Aslam said it was "wrong" to presume Islamabad had no candidate.

"This is very hypothetical. In the first place, it is a wrong presumption that we don't have a candidate. We are watching all developments closely and we are keeping all our options open."

Pakistan seems to have shifted from its immediate reaction to Mr. Tharoor's candidature.

Last week, the spokeswoman dismissed as "speculation" reports that Pakistan would field a candidate of its own against the Indian candidate. Ms. Aslam said then Asia must not get divided on the issue, and must find a consensus candidate. Local media speculated that this was a sign that Pakistan would not field a candidate.

On Monday, Ms. Aslam said "ideally Asia should have been able to find a consensus candidate" but the divisions on the issue "are already there".

"There are already four candidates, the more the merrier. Asia is already divided and we are not responsible for that," she said.

The ASEAN secretary-general, who was here recently, sought Pakistan's support for the regional grouping's candidate, the Thai deputy Prime Minister Suriakiart Sathirathaith. Sri Lanka has also sent feelers to Pakistan for support to its candidate Jayantha Dhanapala.

The Daily Times cautioned Pakistan against "a bad and hasty" decision to field a candidate only because India had done so. The newspaper said India stood a better chance of winning the U.N. top slot because of its "strategic partnership with the U.S.," and also because of Mr. Tharoor's long experience in the U.N.

The newspaper also suggested that India may be "amenable to cutting a deal" with Pakistan: "Islamabad could perhaps offer New Delhi a deal and extract a quid pro quo for supporting India's candidate ... "

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