googs
09-06-2006, 01:12 AM
Jordanian seeks to succeed Annan
UNITED NATIONS - Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein announced his candidacy on Tuesday to be the next U.N. secretary-general, becoming the fifth hopeful and the first Muslim to enter the race to succeed Kofi Annan.
Jordan sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council formally submitting the candidacy of Zeid, a widely respected diplomat and former U.N. peacekeeper who is a cousin of King Abdullah II.
"We believe there is considerable scope to be given by the Security Council and the General Assembly to a Muslim candidate who is familiar with the U.N. but not of the U.N.," Zeid told The Associated Press.
He said considering a Muslim candidate was especially important in light of recent events, which include the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, an upsurge in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Gaza, and Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
Annan's second five-year term ends on Dec. 31 and most diplomats generally agree that the next secretary-general should come from Asia, part of a tradition to rotate between regions in awarding the job.
Jordan is part of the Asian group at the United Nations, though some countries may consider it more part of the Middle East than Asia.
The four other candidates vying to succeed Annan are South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor who is from India, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, and former U.N. disarmament chief Jayantha Dhanapala, a Sri Lankan.
The next secretary-general must be approved by the General Assembly, based on a recommendation from the 15-member Security Council, where the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — have veto power.
Council members have been holding informal consulations for several months and in late July they held their first informal poll. In that secret ballot, members checked one of three boxes for each candidate: "Encourage," "discourage," and "no opinion."
South Korea's foreign minister did the best, India's Tharoor was next, Thailand's Surakiart came third and Sri Lanka's Dhanapala last.
The council put off another straw poll in August, and several members encouraged new candidates to come forward. In addition to Zeid, others mentioned as possible candidates include Kemal Dervis, the Turkish chief of the U.N. Development Program, and Goh Chok Tong, former prime minister of Singapore.
Zeid, 42, who has served as Jordan's U.N. ambassador since 2000, helped establish the International Criminal Court, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, and was elected the first president of its governing body.
He was a political affairs officer in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in former Yugoslavia from 1994-96, which led Annan to name him an advisor on sexual exploitation and abuse in mid-2004 following allegations of widespread rape and abuse by U.N. peacekeepers. His report outlining a strategy to eliminate such abuse was endorsed by world leaders at the 2005 U.N. Millennium Summit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060906/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_secretary_general;_ylt=AlJ3i64H6S.jM9NYMLhkNPwL ewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
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This might be a good idea. I believe having someone from the Middle East can help somewhat stabilize the turmoil in the Middle East. Since Jordan has diplomatic ties with its Arab neighbors and Israel, it can help alleviate some of the pain caused in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, Iraq War, Lebanon, etc. And it can help increase talks with the Iran and its nuclear policy. What are your thoughts?
UNITED NATIONS - Jordan's U.N. Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein announced his candidacy on Tuesday to be the next U.N. secretary-general, becoming the fifth hopeful and the first Muslim to enter the race to succeed Kofi Annan.
Jordan sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council formally submitting the candidacy of Zeid, a widely respected diplomat and former U.N. peacekeeper who is a cousin of King Abdullah II.
"We believe there is considerable scope to be given by the Security Council and the General Assembly to a Muslim candidate who is familiar with the U.N. but not of the U.N.," Zeid told The Associated Press.
He said considering a Muslim candidate was especially important in light of recent events, which include the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict, an upsurge in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Gaza, and Iran's refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment program.
Annan's second five-year term ends on Dec. 31 and most diplomats generally agree that the next secretary-general should come from Asia, part of a tradition to rotate between regions in awarding the job.
Jordan is part of the Asian group at the United Nations, though some countries may consider it more part of the Middle East than Asia.
The four other candidates vying to succeed Annan are South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor who is from India, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, and former U.N. disarmament chief Jayantha Dhanapala, a Sri Lankan.
The next secretary-general must be approved by the General Assembly, based on a recommendation from the 15-member Security Council, where the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — have veto power.
Council members have been holding informal consulations for several months and in late July they held their first informal poll. In that secret ballot, members checked one of three boxes for each candidate: "Encourage," "discourage," and "no opinion."
South Korea's foreign minister did the best, India's Tharoor was next, Thailand's Surakiart came third and Sri Lanka's Dhanapala last.
The council put off another straw poll in August, and several members encouraged new candidates to come forward. In addition to Zeid, others mentioned as possible candidates include Kemal Dervis, the Turkish chief of the U.N. Development Program, and Goh Chok Tong, former prime minister of Singapore.
Zeid, 42, who has served as Jordan's U.N. ambassador since 2000, helped establish the International Criminal Court, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, and was elected the first president of its governing body.
He was a political affairs officer in the U.N. peacekeeping mission in former Yugoslavia from 1994-96, which led Annan to name him an advisor on sexual exploitation and abuse in mid-2004 following allegations of widespread rape and abuse by U.N. peacekeepers. His report outlining a strategy to eliminate such abuse was endorsed by world leaders at the 2005 U.N. Millennium Summit.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060906/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_secretary_general;_ylt=AlJ3i64H6S.jM9NYMLhkNPwL ewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTBjMHVqMTQ4BHNlYwN5bnN1YmNhdA--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This might be a good idea. I believe having someone from the Middle East can help somewhat stabilize the turmoil in the Middle East. Since Jordan has diplomatic ties with its Arab neighbors and Israel, it can help alleviate some of the pain caused in the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict, Iraq War, Lebanon, etc. And it can help increase talks with the Iran and its nuclear policy. What are your thoughts?