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U.N. divided over Annan successor

Ewen MacAskill, Simon Tisdall and Ed Pilkington

Straw poll of five candidates on Thursday

Ewen MacAskill, Simon Tisdall

and Ed Pilkington

London/New York: The United Nations Security Council is struggling to agree on a high-profile successor to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who will step down at the end of the year. With time running out and after months of lobbying and inconclusive consultations, the Council is due to restart the selection process with a vote on Thursday.

Choosing a strong Secretary-General who enjoys broad support is crucial for the future of the U.N., whose reputation has been battered by the Iraq war, the failure of peacekeeping operations and a U.S.-inspired campaign to undermine Mr. Annan.

There are five men in the running at present — although more candidates are expected to emerge — of whom Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein of Jordan has emerged as one of the favourites, according to diplomats based at the U.N. and in Western capitals. He is reported to have the backing of John Bolton, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., and the U.K. Government, which has indicated it is likely to support him.

Other frontrunners are Ban Ki-moon, the South Korean Foreign Minister, and Shashi Tharoor, U.N. Under Secretary-General, from India.

Fijian Foreign Minister Kaliopate Tavola has recommended a British Conservative Euro-MP, Nirj Deva. But diplomats at the U.N. say the Euro MP, who has joint British-Sri Lankan citizenship, has no chance of winning.

On Thursday, the Security Council will hold a straw poll of the five declared candidates. The Permanent Members will indicate either ``encouragement'' or ``discouragement'' of a candidate. Colour coded ballots will be used: red for the five Permanent Members and white for the others. If a candidate receives a lot of ``discouragements'', he is expected to drop out. When a candidate with sufficient support emerges, his name will go to the General Assembly, where election is normally a formality. —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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