|
Korean Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
|
 Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:56 pm Post subject: South Korean foreign minister nominated to lead UN |
 |
|
| Quote: |
South Korean foreign minister nominated to lead UN 2 hours, 3 minutes ago
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has been formally nominated to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary-general, his government said in a letter circulated at the United Nations on Friday.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ban, whose nomination was widely expected, became the fourth official candidate for the post opening up in January 2007, when Annan's second five-year term runs out.
The three others are Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Sri Lankan disarmament specialist and government adviser Jayantha Dhanapala, and Indian novelist Shashi Tharoor, the U.N. undersecretary-general for public information.
But more names are expected to surface in coming weeks, diplomats say.
"Over a career spanning more than 37 years, Minister Ban has provided distinguished service both to the government of the Republic of Korea and on the international stage," South Korean U.N. Ambassador Choi Young-jin said in a letter to the Security Council dated Thursday.
His reform initiatives at the Foreign Ministry over the past three years would help him lead management reform efforts at the United Nations, Choi said.
Ban, 62, has been South Korea's foreign minister since January 2004 and has also served as ambassador to the United Nations. Analysts call him a consensus builder who shuns the limelight for quiet diplomacy, rather than an impassioned public speaker.
A career diplomat, he came from a poor rural background but is fluent in English and also speaks French, a job skill that France, with veto power in the selection process, insists upon for any potential U.N. leader.
The United States, like France another key player in the competition as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, acknowledged for the first time this week that the next secretary-general was likely to be an Asian. Russia, China and Britain are also permanent council members.
"As I understand it, traditionally ... regions rotate, and we're really looking in the Far East right now to be the secretary-general," President George W. Bush said on Monday.
U.S. officials previously had said the best possible candidate should fill the job, regardless of region.
The Security Council plays the central role in picking a secretary-general, nominating a candidate who is then submitted to the 192-nation U.N. General Assembly for final approval.
Council members are expected to start conducting informal polls this month to get an idea of how much support the individual candidates have.
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Guri Guy
Joined: 07 Sep 2003
Location: Bamboo Island
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 4:03 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Interesting development. Should be good entertainment to see if he can keep neutral over Dokdo if he becomes secretary general.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| You do know you are nominated by your own country, don't you? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Gopher
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Wikipedia has a nice summary...
| Quote: |
The Secretary-General is appointed to a five year term. UN Secretaries-General usually serve two consecutive terms, but sometimes only one. The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council. Therefore, the selection is subject to the veto of any of the five permanent members of the Security Council.
By convention, the position rotates by geographic region, but since Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt served only one term, a successor from Africa, Kofi Annan of Ghana, was chosen. When Annan had finished his first term, the member states were so impressed with his performance that he was appointed for a second term despite the fact that the next Secretary-General should have been from Asia. There has not yet been a Secretary-General from North America or Oceania.
Most Secretaries-General are compromise-candidates from middle powers and with little prior fame. High-profile candidates are often touted for the job, but are almost always rejected as unpalatable to some. For instance, figures like Charles de Gaulle, Dwight Eisenhower and Anthony Eden were considered for the first Secretary-General position, but were rejected in favour of the uncontroversial Norwegian Trygve Lie. Due to international politics and mechanicisms of political compromise, there are many similarities between the process and ideals for selecting the Secretary-General and those of selecting leading figures in other international organizations, including the election of Popes in the Roman Catholic Church. |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Bill Klinton ... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
|
| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| You do know you are nominated by your own country, don't you? |
No, I was unaware. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
