Next UN Chief should be from Asia - China
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-07-07 09:42
China on Thursday said it wants the next UN Secretary-General to be Asian.
China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Jiang Yu answers questions at a regular press conference, Beijing, July 6,
2006. [FMPRC.gov.cn] |
"China firmly believes that next UN Secretary-General should come from Asia
and Asian countries will keep solidarity and coordinate the selection of a
competent, prestigious Secretary-General, who is widely accepted by Asian
countries," China's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news briefing.
French Ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, said
Wednesday that the first "straw polls" for a new UN Secretary-General are due to
be held in the UN Security Council by the middle of July.
Sabliere, who is the Security Council president for July, told reporters at
UN headquarters in New York that the UN Security Council hopes to submit the
final candidate to the General Assembly either in late September or early
October allowing the new Secretary-General several months to prepare before
taking over the job at the beginning of next year.
Jiang said the straw polls are unofficial consultations and are aimed at
testing Security Council members' general reactions to different candidates.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's second five-year term will end on December
31.
The UN charter allows the Security Council to nominate a candidate who is
then be approved by the UN General Assembly.
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