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Dhanapala may opt out

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka on Friday is believed to have decided to withdraw its candidature of Jayantha Dhanapala for the post of United Nations Secretary General.

A senior official in the Sri Lanka Foreign Office told The Hindu that Colombo had taken a view that it should not pursue the candidature of Mr. Dhanpala taking into consideration a number of factors including the outcome of the three straw polls.

"We have been given to understand that a communication has already been addressed to the United Nations on the subject though we are yet to see it. There would be a definite announcement before the next round of the straw poll expected on October 2," the official said.

Mr. Dhanapala, one of the seven candidates, is believed to have said in a letter to the Security Council on Friday that he would quit the ongoing race for U.N. chief.

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