Putrajaya, May 28: Sri Lanka's candidate for the UN Secretary General post, Jayantha Dhanapala, is seeking the support of developing nations at this week's meeting of the
114-nation Non-Aligned Movement.
"Clearly the non-aligned movement is a very influential
grouping, and therefore their decision would be of great
importance," he told in an interview ahead of the
ministerial talks which begin tomorrow.
"I come from a small country which has always had
moderate policies in international affairs and has been
successful in achieving consensus building," said the career
diplomat who has held senior UN posts and now serves as an
Adviser to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajpakse.
Current UN Chief Kofi Annan who steps down at the end of
this year has said he should be replaced by an Asian in line
with the convention for regional rotation of the top job.
Asia has not had a UN chief since Myanmar's U Thant
finished his second term in 1971.
Dhanapala is one of three candidates from the region
including South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon and Thai
Deputy Premier Surakiart Sathirathai.
None of the three are highly fancied and there is no
certainty that an Asian will be chosen -- the United States
has said that the best candidate should get the job regardless
of where they come from.
But despite the vacuum and Southeast Asia's pledge to
support the Thai candidate, Dhanapala said he was confident in
his pitch as a candidate with both a wealth of experience
within the UN and a commitment to reform.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, May 28, 2006, 00:00