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Ban Ki-Moon new U.N. chief

He urges Council to adopt a strong resolution on sanctions against North Korea

NEW HELMSMAN: Ban Ki-Moon (left), newly appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations, with the present U.N. chief, Kofi Annan, at the U.N. on Friday. — PHOTO: AP

United Nations: Cheering and clapping, delegates in the U.N. General Assembly approved South Korea's Foreign Minister as the world's body's next Secretary-General. Ban Ki-moon vowed reform for the United Nations as it faces a ``complex'' world.

The 192-member body approved Secretary-General Kofi Annan's successor by acclamation on Friday at U.N. headquarters and the longtime South Korean diplomat promised to burnish the tarnished world body -- and use it to help future generations.

``I earnestly hope that young boys and girls of today will grow up knowing that the U.N. is working hard to build a better future for them,'' Ban said in accepting the nomination. ``As secretary-general, I will embrace their hopes and hear their appeals.''

Ban, 62, will become the eighth Secretary-General in the U.N.'s 60-year history on Jan. 1 when Annan's second five-year term expires.

Ban recalled his childhood in South Korea before it shook off years of war and poverty to become a thriving, multiparty democracy. ``Fifty years later, the world is a much more complex place, and there are many more actors to turn to,'' he said.

South Korea's presidential office in a statement on Saturday said Ban's appointment ``is a significant and proud occasion that constitutes a testimony to the heightened status of (South) Korea in the world.

``We expect that he will contribute greatly to world peace and common prosperity, including the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.''

In a speech mixing humility and forcefulness, Ban laid out his vision for the United Nations.``My tenure will be marked by ceaseless efforts to build bridges and close divides,'' he told hundreds of diplomats and U.N. staff minutes after the assembly resolution was adopted. ``Leadership of harmony not division, by example not instruction, has served me well so far. I intend to stay the course as Secretary-General.''

During a nearly 40 year career as a diplomat, Ban said, ``I have been elated by the successes of the U.N. in making life better for countless people. I have also been pained by scenes of its failures. In too many places could I feel the dismay over inaction of the U.N., or action that was too little or came too late.''

``I am determined to dispel the disillusionment,'' he said.

The White House warmly welcomed Ban's appointment and said it expected him to oversee reforms at the United Nations.

``The President has had the opportunity to get to know Foreign Minister Ban during the course of his administration and looks forward to continuing their excellent working relationship,'' U.S. President George W. Bush's spokesman, Tony Snow, said in a statement. ``We will rely on his leadership to help steer the U.N. Organization.''

Ban was one of seven candidates vying to be the U.N. chief and topped all four informal polls in the U.N. Security Council. The council then voted by acclamation to recommend his selection.

He said he was proud to be the second Asian chosen to serve as secretary-general. The last Asian secretary-general was Burma's U Thant, who served from 1961-71.

``The true measure of success for the U.N. is not how much we promise, but how much we deliver for those who need us most,'' Ban said.

Annan hailed Ban as ``a future Secretary-General who is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent'' and said he would be ``a man with a truly global mind at the helm of the world's only universal organisation.''

By tradition, the post of Secretary-General rotates among the regions of the world and most countries agreed that this time it was Asia's turn. - AP

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