NEW DELHI:
In an about turn within weeks after ruling out the possibility of India
staking claim for the UN top job, the Manmohan Singh government is understood
to have decided to prop up Shashi Tharoor, 5O,currently the UN Under
Secretary General, for the Secretary-General’s post.
A formal announcement by the government of its decision to back Tharoor’s
candidature to succeed incumbent Kofi Annan may be imminent, according
to official sources.
Annan’s
second five-year term as Secretary General ends on December 31. The
search for Annan’s successor will gather steam ahead of the start
of this year’s General Assembly session from September 19.
As per
the geographical rotation system followed in the selection, it is Asia’s
turn to occupy the top slot. At least three Asian candidates are already
in the ring - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathi, South
Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and chief advisor to the Sri Lankan
President and former UN Under-Secretary General Jayantha Dhanapala.
Recently, Sri Lanka requested India to back Dhanapala. As recently as
May 23, top government officials were categorical in stating that India
would not seek the UN top job in view of its aspirations for a permanent
slot in the Security Council.
According
to established convention, permanent members of the US do not stake
claim for the Secretary-General’s job. Indian diplomats had even suggested
that Delhi’s position not to seek the UN job would be conveyed to
the NAM members at the NAM ministerial meeting held in Malaysia late
last month.
It would
appear that Delhi might have already taken a dim view of making progress
in its bid for the Security Council permanent seat in the near future.
It would also appear that Delhi may be optimistic about getting the
endorsement of the Security Council for Tharoor’s elevation for the
top job.
Tharoor is India’s
man for top UN post
Deccan Herald - 15.6.2006 By lndrani Bagchi/TNN
New Delhi:
Author and senior UN official, Shashi Tharoor, may be India’s candidate
for the UN Secretary-General. The government is expected to announce
its support for the UN under secretary-general for communications soon.
This idea
has been in circulation at senior levels of the government for some
time. Sources said India has consulted many other countries before declaring
itself on the side of Tharoor’s candidature.
UN corridors
have buzzed with the possibility of Tharoor’s elevation for some time-particularly
since this is Asia’s turn to put a secretary-general in place.
Currently,
there are three candidates who have put their hats in the ring - Ban
ki Moon, foreign minister of South Korea, Jayantha Dhanapala, adviser
to Sri Lanka president, and Surakiart Sathirathai, Thailand’s deputy
Prime Minister.
Apart
from Tharoor, Dhanapala is the only other candidate with a long stint
in the UN, and one of the strongest candidates for the UN’s top job.
Tharoor’s
advantage is that though he is Indian, he is not part of the Indian
government, not even the foreign service, but identified with India
in the world body.
He is
also known to be one of Kofi Annan’s favourites which could go against
him.
Unlike
other top UN officials, including the latest to be in the eye of a storm,
Mark Malloch Brown, Tharoor has kept himself out of the accusing headlines
that have dogged the top echelons of the UN for a while now.
In fact,
Tharoor will have to explain his own views on UN reform that have to
be qualitatively different from Annan.
Thus far,
he has stuck to the spirit of the reform exercise. Recently, he said:
“The UN needs reform not because it has failed but because it has
accomplished enough over the years to be worth investing in.”
For the
conventionally minded, permanent members leave the Secretary-General’s
post to others. And this argument was used by many in the Indian establishment
to explain the lack of an “Indian” candidate.
But the
government has apparently decided to be different.
Tharoor is official
UN candidate
Deccan Herald - 16.6.2006 From K
Subrahmanya
- DH News Service
NEW DEIHI:
India has formally announced the move to nominate UN Under Secretary
General Shashi Tharoor as its candidate for the UN Secretary-General’s
post.
“India
has decided to announce the candidature of Shashi Tharoor, Under Secretary
General for Communications and Public Information at the United Nations”
for the Secretary General post, External Affairs Ministry spokesman
Navtej Sarna announced in the Capital on Thursday.
India
had already informed other UN members through diplomatic channels and
solicited their support for the candidature of Mr Tharoor for the top
UN post, Mr Sarna said. The nomination must get the endorsement of the
15-member UN Security Council by a majority of nine members, including
the five permanent members - the US, the UK, France, Russia and China.
The candidature will not come through in the Council if any of the P-5
countries exercises its veto power to
register opposition.
Asked
about China’s views on Mr Tharoor’s nomination, the spokesman merely
stated that India’s missions in all countries were already pressed
into service to canvass support.
The process
of electing the next Secretary-General will gather momentum from mid-July
when the council prepares the list of the candidates in the fray. Thereafter,
the 15 member Council, the P-5 in particular, will hold consultations
to arrive at a consensus on one candidate. The candidate’s name
will then be recommended to the General Assembly in October. The General
Assembly is required to endorse the candidate with a two-thirds majority.
Tharoor’s
UN stint
The 50-year
old UN diplomat a distinguished Asian who has served the UN in diverse
capacities, including in areas of peace-keeping, UNHCR and UN’s communications
strategy and he is someone who is also strongly committed to UN’s
reform agenda, Mr Sarna said. While he refused to throw light on the
disposition of individual countries towards Mr Tharoor’s candidature,
diplomatic circles in the Capital reckoned that India
must have had positive signals from
the US and also positive assessments about
endorsements from Russia, the UK and France. For one, under the
geographical rotation system followed in the choice of the Secretary
General, it is the turn of Asia this time. The African Group
has also confirmed its support for Asian candidature.
Mr Sarna
disagreed with suggestions that the move to seek the Secretary-General’s
job for an Indian indicated a setback for India’s campaign for a permanent
slot in an expanded Council. The two “are separate issues and it is
incorrect to perceive India’s support for one as the dilution of our
commitment to the other,” he asserted. India remained committed to
Council expansion as well as the G-4 (India, Japan, Brazil and
Germany) initiative in that regard, he said.
I’m honoured:
Taroor Deccan Herald - 16.6.2006 From
Shyam Bhatia
- DH News Service
WASHINGTON:
The leading Indian within the UN hierarchy has reacted with delight
after winning New Delhi’s endorsement to succeed Secretary-General Kofi Annan when his second five-year term ends on December 31.
“I have
devoted most of my adult life to the United Nations in which I believe
deeply and passionately, and I am honoured to be given an opportunity
to lead it,” he said in his response to External Affairs Ministry
spokesman Navtej Sarna’s announcement that Mr Tharoor was India’s
choice to lead the world body.
“India believes
that a prospective UN Secretary-General should have impeccable credentials, be
acceptable to the broadest possible membership of the United Nations and have a
strong commitment to the reform of the UN and the interests of the developing countries,” Mr Sarna said.
“It is in this framework that India has decided to announce the candidature
of Shashi Tharoor,” he said.
If Mr
Tharoor succeeds, he will be the second Asian since U Thant of Myanmar who
was the Secretary - General from 1961 to 1971. Under the principle of regional rotation, there is support among member countries to select
an Asian after Annan. This is also the view of China, which took
over the presidency of the Security Council last April.
Others
in fray
Other
candidates for this top job include South Korean Foreign Minister BanKi-Moon,
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirai and Jayantha Dhanapala
from Sri Lanka.
Earlier,
there was speculation that British Prime Minister Tony Blair might be
interested in the Secretary-General’s job as a post-retirement option
from UK politics. There were even stories that India’s own Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could be a potential candidate.
Mr Tharoor
started his career in 1978 at UNHCR in Geneva. In 2001,
Mr Annan appointed him the Under Secretary-General for Communications
and Public Information.
In his
personal assessment of what the Secretary-General’s job involves, Mr Tharoor commented last month: “The Secretary-General knows that
he can accomplish little without the support of members whose inaction
on one issue or another he might otherwise want to denounce.
He cannot afford to allow frustration on any one issue to affect
his ability to elicit cooperation from governments on a range of others.
China,
Pak may dash Tharoor’s hopes Times of India - 17.6.2006 By Chidanand Rajghatta/TNN
Washington:
The United States and major world powers are expected to back India’s
nomination of international diplomat and writer Shashi Tharoor to succeed
Kofi Annan as the UN Secretary General,although Washington is not likely
to publicly commit to his candidature just yet.
Well-placed
sources told The Times of India
that New Delhi had decided to propose Tharoor for the top UN job after
informal consultations with major powers which provided a positive feedback
ahead of what is expected to be a long process.
Tharoor
is leaving for New Delhi later this week to call on PM Manmohan Singh,
who is himself a former international civil servant and is familiar
with the nuances of the jockeying that goes with such a bid.
In a conversation
with this correspondent, Tharoor said he was aware of India’s decision
to propose his name, but he was taciturn talking of outcomes so early
in the process.
Asked
if his candidature would result in the diminution of India’s bid for
a seat in the UN Security Council he said: “The two are not connected.
India’s bid for UNSC membership is a long term goal that is linked
to overall UN reform.”
Indian
analysts, including former diplomat T P Sreenivasan, who has argued
in the TOI for an Indian candidate for Secretary-General, agreed.
NEXT CHANGE:
AN ASIAN SAGA?
The guessing game is on in diplomatic circles around the world: Who’ll be
the next UN secretary-general? When Kofi Annan steps down by year-end, many
feel an Asian is next in line. Here are some frontrunners |
|
|
|
Shashi
Taroor
India’s candidate for the post, he is currently UN under secretary-general
for communications and public information apart from being a well-known
author.
Positives: A non-controversial figure, he may pip others to the post as a
consensus candidate.
Negatives: Seen as being close to present UNSG Kofi Annan.
Challenges: Will need China’s support and make his position clear on Iran,
nuclear proliferation. |
|
|
|
|
|
Jayantha
Dhanapala
The 67-year-old Sri Lankan presidential advisor is a former under
secretary-general for disarmament who has openly thrown his hat into the
ring. He is seen as a self effacing but effective man.
Positives: Considered by many to be the front-runner. A man who can work the
UN system inside and out
Negatives: Seen as a virtual shadow of Annan. Also, the Sri Lankan situation
exploding back into civil war wouldn’t do his image any good. |
|
|
|
|
|
Ban Ki-Moon
South Korea’s minister of foreign affairs and trade has lately been
campaigning hard for the job. The 61-year-old lifelong diplomat played a
major role in North Korea’s six-party talks.
Positives: Will probably be backed by US and China, two Security Council
members who have veto power over any candidate.
Negatives: The unresolved North Korean nuclear issue will taint him and if
North Korea goes ahead with a rumoured missile test, he can kiss his chances
good- bye. |
|
|
|
|
|
Surakiart Sathirathai
The Thai deputy prime minister was the first to get off the blocks with his
campaign and was an early favourite for the job.
Positives: All 10 ASEAN members have stamped their approval on his candidacy
and he may get more support from Asia.
Negatives: Some found his campaign as being too aggressive. And, the Thai
PM’s crack down on Muslims in southern Thailand doesn’t play well with
Islamic countries. At 47,many view him as being too young for the weighty
role. |
|
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THOUGHT FOR TODAY
The most impossible
job on earth.
TRYGYE LIE, FIRST
UN SECRETARY- GENERAL
|
Tharoor’s
Time
India declares candidate
for UN chief’s post
Times of India - 17.6.2006
SHASHI
Tharoor’s name had been doing the rounds for the UN’s top job, which
will fall vacant when Kofi Annan steps down at the end of this year.
Now the MEA has confirmed that New Delhi will officially back Tharoor.
This is welcome news. With a Security Council seat unlikely in the near
future, an Indian as UN chief would enhance the country’s international
standing. There is an informal consensus that it is Asia’s turn to
get the secretary-general’s post. The last two secretary-generals
have been from Africa, preceded by a European and a Latin American.
The last Asian to occupy the chair was Myanmar’s U Thant in the 1960s.
India as the world’s largest democracy is a natural choice for filling
the UN’s top slot. In Tharoor, New Delhi has a strong candidate.
He has been with the UN for over 25 years, and is currently under-secretary-general
for communication and public information. Besides his high-profile UN
job, Tharoor also enjoys a considerable reputation as a writer. He combines
two qualities that are most needed in a secretary-general An intimate
knowledge of international diplomacy and an impressive public persona.
In that sense Tharoor’s credentials are better than the other contenders
from Asia - Sri Lanka’s Jayantha Dhanapala, Thailand’s Surakiart
Sathirathai and South Korea’s Ban-Ki Moon.
Tharoor will, however, have his task
cut out in beating the other nominees. Though the UN General Assembly
elects the secretary-general, the permanent five members (P5) of the
Security Council have a veto power. The key factor will be getting
the US on board Tharoor’s candidacy. If that happens, France, Britain
and Russia would probably fall in line. The US has not stated its preference
but Tharoor’s closeness to Annan, who is no favourite of US Republicans,
could be a problem. The other stumbling block is likely
to be China, which might back Sathirathai. The Thai candidate already
has the support of the ASEAN bloc. Tharoor will also have to contend
with history. All former secretary-generals have come from relatively
less powerful nations such as Norway, Sweden, Myanmar, Austria,
Peru, Egypt and Ghana. India’s size and growing economic clout could
stand in the way of Tharoor making it. Finally, if rumours are to be
believed Bill Clinton and Tony Blair have thrown their hat in
the ring. Notwithstanding the considerable obstacles, New Delhi
should pull out all stops to get Tharoor the UN chief’s job. He has
more than an even chance of making it.
Pak
to field Aziz?
Islamabad:
Pakistan on Friday termed as ‘speculation’ reports that it plans
to field Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz or some high profile candidate
aganist India’s nominee Shashi Taroor for the UN Secretary General
post.
“It
is all speculation at the moment,” Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said when asked about reports that Islamabad plans to field
Aziz, who had previously served as vice-president of City Bank, for
the UN top post.
Pakistan’s
UN ambassador Munir Akarm had said on Thursday that Islamabad was giving
“serious consideration” to field a candidate.
“We have also
been giving serious consideration to field a candidate but no decision has yet
been taken,” he said in New York. (Agencies)
As I have
maintained throughout, India has no chance of getting the permanent
seat for at least ten years. We need to have a strong and stable economy,
which will bring our assessed contributions much higher than the present
0.3%, a universally recognised nuclear policy and a resolution on the
Kashmir issue. By offering a SG candidate, we are not damaging our chances
for a permanent seat,” Sreenivasan said. “Shashi is the best bet
we have. He is not identified with Indian foreign policy and he has
a great reputation as a diplomat, thinker and writer,” he added.
A state
department official said consultations between New Delhi and Washington may have
taken place at a higher level, but India should not expect the administration to
take a public position just now.
“We would be
playing it pretty close to the chest right now,” he said.
Experts say it
is inconceivable that New Delhi has made the move without sounding Washington.
A former
diplomat close to Tharoor said there were encouraging signs from one or two
permanent members and others had not been negative.
Tharoor
also had good meetings in China recently, although there is no guarantee of Chinese support.
NY-based
columnist Pranay Gupte sought to find an explanation for Tharoor’s
nomination in the new political and economic relationship between the
Manmohan Singh government and the Bush administration.
“President
Bush has already gone against the political grain in Washington by agreeing
to sell nuclear technology to India... the placement of a Washington
backed prominent Indian figure as UN steward could
represent the logical next step in the blossoming Bush-Singh
nexus,” Gupte wrote in the NY Sun.
Conceding
that Washington’s support is by no means assured, Gupte said it is
not inconceivable that Singh feels he has an informal understanding
with President Bush that an Indian candidate with credentials such as
Tharoor would implement the institutional reforms that Washington has
long sought. Since Russia and China, both signed on to reform, have
also indicated a preference for an Asian candidate, Tharoor’s candidacy
could take on a certain logic.
While
Tharoor’s credentials are said to be impeccable, UN experts and staffers
who TOI spoke to on Wednesday foresaw three hurdles ahead of him.
The first
is the UN Secretary-General’s job has invariably gone to a candidate
from a small or middle power. It will be the first time a large country
like India will be proposing a candidate. While Kofi Annan is from Ghana,
his predecessors were from Egypt, Peru, Austria, Burma, Sweden and Norway.
Some analysts
see Tharoor’s reported closeness to Annan, and the fact that he belongs
to the existing UN establishment (he is currently an under-secretary)
as a handicap, particularly in the face of a Republican Congress that
is not enamoured of the current set-up.
Then there is
the question of Pakistan, which may not be able to countenance a candidate of
Indian origin. Although Pakistan has little international clout, it could be a
spoiler through China.
The
Secretary-General is appointed by the UN General Assembly, on the recommendation
of the Security Council.’ Therefore, the selection is subject to veto from any
of the five permanent members of the Security Council, which is where China
holds the trump card.
Fireworks
begin in Tharoor’s village
Deccan Herald - 18.6.2006
ELAVANCHERRY
(KERALA), IANS: The villagers are already celebrating, hoping and praying
that Shashi Tharoor, whom they consider one of their own, may
soon be presiding over the United Nations.
The noted
author, now the UN undersecretary general for communications and public
information, has been picked by India as its candidate in the race
for the post of UN Secretary General.
He may
or may not win. But the people of Elavancherry in Kerala’s Palakkad
district are already in a celebratory mood.
“Ours
is a small village and everyone here hopes he will be elected
to the top post,” said Narayanan Unni, Tharoor’s maternal
uncle.
“I am
very hopeful that a he will become the secretary general,” Unni added.
“And if he is elected, I want him to visit us because my mother,
with whom he is very close, will be overjoyed.” Ever since
the news of Tharoor’s candidature broke out, the village, 350 km from
Thiruvananthapuram, has been bustling with crowds of people queuing
up at the home of the 54-year-old Unni.
“He
called us three days back. Though there was no official news, I asked
him about the rumours. He did not say anything,” said
Unni, adding that the villagers viewed his nephew as one of their own,
although he had been born in London and was educated outside India.
An agriculturist
by profession, Unni is the younger brother of Tharoor’s mother Lily.
“He
is a pure vegetarian, and whenever he is here, he wears the traditional
dhoti,” Unni went on. “He is a man with no airs. It is his humility
that we all adore. He does not differentiate between the rich or the
poor. Everyone to him is the same.”
Tharoor
has authored several books, including the acclaimed India: From Midnight
to the Millennium, besides a biography of India’s first Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
But Unni
is sad that Tharoor may not visit Elavancherry in July, as he had promised.
“He was here in 2004. He promised to return to Elavancherry
for 10 days to write a story far away from his busy world. Now
don’t think that will happen,” Unni said.
Tharoor’s
mother, now in the US with her daughter, is expected to arrive in the
village next month.
“She
has a flat in Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). She would stay in my home”,
Unni said.
But Unni
is hopeful that Tharoor can still write the story he had
promised some time ago.
“But with all
this news and publicity, it is going to be difficult for him to spend 10 days
here. Anyway, we will wait and see.”
Tharoor
welcomes any qualified competition
Deccan Herald
- 19.6.2006
NEW DELHI:
India’s nominee for the United Nations Secretary-General’s post,
diplomat-author Shashi Tharoor, arrived in the capital late Sunday night
on a three day-visit to discuss is sues relating to his candidature with
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, other political leaders and government
officials.
Mr.Tharoor
said he had ‘no problem’ with Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand putting
up their candidates for the top UN post as any qualified person could
join the race.
“I welcome any”
qualified candidate from Pakistan or anywhere else...we will have to stand on
our own merits and will have to have own credentials, rather than our passports
as the principal qualification,” he said.
Mr Tharoor,
the UN Under Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information,
is scheduled to meet leaders of almost all major political parties
on Monday, but whether he meets the Prime Minister on Monday or
Tuesday is not yet clear.
“The world
deserves as broad a choice as possible,” he said. “I welcome any qualified
candidate and hope there will be many more, from Pakistan or anywhere else.”
Refuting
claims by Pakistan that no country had pitched at the same time
for permanent membership of the UN Security Council and
the Secretary-General’s post, he said, “The
Indian government has a long tradition of respect for the independence
of international civil service, very much along the lines of India’s
respect for the neutrality of bureaucracy at home where Indian civil
servants are not expected to have any commitments to any particular
political party and rather to the Constitution of India.”
Mr Tharoor
had told a news agency that he was confident of getting the support
of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including
China.
What is
the UN Secy-General’s role?
Times of India - 19.6.2006
Under
the UN charter, there are six principal organs of the UN system the
General Assembly, the Security Council (SC), the Economic and Social
Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice
and the Secretariat. The Secretariat is the organ that is mandated with
administering the programmes and policies drawn up by the others. The
Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat and the UN Charter
envisages his role as that of a chief administrative officer of the
UN. While this may make it sound like the Secretary-General is no more
than a glorified babu, this is not true. Among the roles assigned to
the Secretary General is that of bringing to the attention of the SC
any matter that, in his opinion, could threaten international peace
and security. Thus the office ‘Can be used to point the UN in specific
directions. Also as a non-partisan institution, the Secretary-General
is generally viewed by the world as the face and voice of the UN as
a whole. Thus, while the Secretary-General cannot defy the collective
will of the member states of the UN, he may periodically find himself
or herself pitted against individual members.
How is the Secy-General
Chosen?
The UN SC recommends a person for the post to
the General Assembly, which then elects him or her. Since the recommendation
has to come from the Security Council this
effectively means that any of the five permanent members of that body
the US, UK, France, China and Russia can veto a person’s nomination.
In order to get elected,therefore, the nominee must not only be acceptable
to these five, but also have a majority among the 15 members of the
council, which includes 10 non-permanent members (who have two-year
terms). At the moment, the 10 non-permanent members are Argentina, Greece,
Japan, Denmark, Tanzania, - Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Slovakia,
Peru and Ghana. Then, of course, the nominee must pass muster with the
General Assembly, which consist of all 191 member nations of the UN,
each with one vote. The Secretary General is elected for a five-year
term starting from the beginning of the calendar year.
Who
are the possible successors to Kofi Annan?
An Indian, Shashi Tharoor, who is currently the UN’s under Secretary-General
for communications and public information and also a well-known
writer, is seen as being among the front-runners for
the Job. The general buzz is that the next Secretary-General
will be from Asia. Other Asians in the reckoning are Jayantha Dhanapala
from Sri Lanka, Ban-Ki Moon from South Korea and Surakiart Sathirathai
from Thailand.
Is
it true that if an Indian is elected Secy-General, India’s hopes of
becoming a permanent member of the Security Council disappear?
On paper,
there is nothing preventing a permanent member having one of its citizens
as the Secretary-General. In practice, however, none of the Secretary-Generals
has come from any of the five permanent members. The, predecessors
of Kofi Annan who is from Ghana, have come from Egypt, Peru, Austria,
Myanmar, Sweden and Norway. It is unlikely, therefore, that India can
get both a Secretary-General and a permanent seat on the SC.
‘I’ve reasonable chance
to win’
Times of India - 20.6.2006
- By Indrani Bagchi/TNN
New Delhi:
India’s first ever candidate for the UN secretary-general’s post, Shashi Tharoor, on Monday
met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for what was described as a “courtesy call” following it up with a meeting with
the national security adviser M K Narayanan. During the day, Tharoor
also met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Left leaders Prakash Karat
and Sitaram Yechury,
In a conversation
with The Times of India, Tharoor seemed confident of his chances,
saying. it would have no bearing on India’s aspirations in the UN
Security Council.
Q: How do you
assess your chances?
A: Reasonably
good, I would say. Nobody enters into a race like this unless they feel there is
a reasonable chance. The fact is that this is a very unusual election. You have
15 voters of whom five can say no. It’s a process that simultaneously seems
manageable because it’s so modest, but also one that is so difficult to predict.
Q:
When do you expect the UNSC to have a name for a vote?
A: The
Council officially wrote to the UNGA president that in early July they
would discuss names of the next secretary-general. This precipitated
decision by countries to put forward their nominees in June. Once such
a discussion takes place, the Council conducts straw ballots of the
candidates. We expect that to happen by late September.
Q:
There is a view that India’s UNSC chances may be affected with you
as UNSG.
A: On
the contrary. Now first of all, India is seeking a permanent membership, it
doesn’t have it. Its aspiring for one doesn’t theoretically disqualify
its candidate for a UNSG. Second, India and the G-4 voluntarily relinquished
the veto for 15 years from the time it gets in. If I am elected, which
certainly I hope to be, I will not find during my tenure a veto-wielding
India.
Q: What happens
if the US and Japan carry out their threat of cutting funding to the UN?
A: I believe
the budget cap will be lifted. I can’t believe these countries will not pull
back from the brink. After all they are pillars of the UN, the US with 22% and
Japan with 19.6%.
Strong
candidate
Deccan Herald - 20.6.2006
India’s candidate for the post of
UN Secretary-General, Shashi Tharoor, is a career diplomat with almost
three decades of experience in the world body. His credentials are impressive.
He is currently undersecretary-general for communications and public information in Secretary - General Kofi Annan’s office and has acquired considerable understanding
in critical areas such as peacekeeping. Other contestants include South
Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai and Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala. It is still
too early to gauge Mr Tharoor’s chances. While his experience should
enhance his prospects, some UN members view Mr Tharoor through the lens of his
association with Mr Annan. These countries are likely to prefer a candidate
from outside the ranks of the UN staff. Ten years ago, India was roundly
defeated by Japan in a contest for a non-permanent seat in the Security
Council. Much has changed since then. Last month, India was elected
to the new Human Rights Council with the highest number of votes for
the Asian slate of candidates. But the contest for the top UN post is
in a different league altogether. Along with convincing UN members,
India will have to win the support of all five permanent members of
the Security Council.
Should
India succeed in getting Mr Tharoor elected, it would be a feather in
its cap. However, its nomination of a candidate has sent out signals
that it has given up hopes of a permanent seat in the Security Council.
It is likely that India, having realised that a permanent seat is unlikely
to come its way in the short run, is eyeing the Secretary-General’s
slot in the meantime and hoping that the new Secretary-General will
move on UN reforms more aggressively. It has only put its campaign for
a permanent seat on pause.
Pakistan has
indicated that it might put up a candidate too for the Secretary-General’s post.
It is unfortunate that Islamabad is reducing the election to an India-Pakistan
contest. India must refrain from being drawn into an exchange of rhetoric with
Pakistan. India’s diplomacy in the coming months should reflect its stature as a
global power; one which has the interests of the international community in
mind. It must avoid acting like a country bogged down by regional baggage.
Tharoor
confident of support
Deccan Herald - 20.6.2006
- DH NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELIHI:
India’s nominee to the post of UN Secretary General, Mr Shashi Tharoor,
on Monday said the Manmohan Singh government made the move to back him
after assuring itself of reasonable support for his candidature.
“I would
not have been in the contest if there wasn’t reasonable support,” Mr
Tharoor said, after meeting the Prime Minister on Monday. Dr Singh discussed
with him the “way forward” to build support amongst UN’s 191members.
The foremost task while campaigning for his candidature was to
ensure support amongst members of the 15-member UN Security Council,
particularly its five permanent members.
The 15
members of the UN Security Council are very important. We have to ensure
that nobody (from the P-5 countries) exercises veto,” Mr Tharoor
told newsmen. The next step would be to build enough
support in the General Assembly which has to adopt the candidate recommended
by the Security Council with a two-thirds’ majority. He evaded
a question on whether his candidature had the backing of the United
States.
“It
is not my job to articulate the position of any country. They will articulate
their position when they are ready;” he said
Political
Consensus
Mr Tharoor said he
would welcome other countries like Pakistan also fielding candidates.
India should not look at other countries’ candidates in
a negative light, he said, adding that the
UN would be afforded a broader choice
with more candidates. It would elect the most suitable candidate
on the basis of merit. “I am contesting on my merit,” he said.
Mr Tharoor,
who arrived here on Sunday night, is also meeting leaders of various
political parties. The objective, he said, was to secure a national
political consensus on his candidature. The prime minister solidly
backed his nomination and wanted his candidature to become “India’s
national offering to the world”, he added.
The UN
Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information met
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and CPM leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram
Yechury before meeting the prime minister. He is expected to meet BJP
leaders L K Advani and Jaswant Singh on Tuesday.
Meet with
CPM
About
his meeting with the CPM leaders, Mr Tharoor said he explained to them
that his candidature for the secretary general’s post would
in no way dilute India’s campaign for a permanent seat in an expanded
UN Security Council.
“India’s
bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council is part of the world
body’s reforms which began in 1992. For us, secretary generalship
is a matter of the immediate future whereas permanent membership is
a long-term issue. My candidature will not affect India’s chances
at all,” Mr Tharoor said.
CPM leader
Mr Yechury later told newsmen that his party expected the prime minister
to clarify the government’s position on India’s search for a permanent
seat in the UN Security Council in the context of the decision to back
Mr.Tharoor for the post of Secretary General.
Mr Tharoor
has served the United Nations in various capacities for 28 years.
Tharoor
has risked his UN career
Deccan Herald - 21.6.2006
DH NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI:
It will be a win win story for the Manmohan Singh Government and Shashi
Tharoor if Mr Tharoor emerges victorious in the bid for UN Secretary
General’s job. It will at worst be a diplomatic embarrassment for
Delhi if Mr Tharoor doesn’t make it. For Mr Tharoor, however, failure
would in all probability mean an abrupt end to his successful career
in the UN.
“I don’t
think there is any risk for the Government of India (which has nominated
me). But, for me, at a personal level, there will be a difficulty. If
I lose, the victor may find it difficult to accommodate me,” Mr Tharoor,
presently a UN Under Secretary General said on Tuesday. In normal course,
Mr Tharoor, now 50 and having already served the world body for
almost 28 years, will have another ten years’ tenure left as an international
civil servant at the UN.
Confident
of victory
While he
believes it is worth all the risks involved in the bid for the UN top job,
he acknowledged that failure would almost certainly bring curtains down on his
UN civil service career at
the dawn of the year 2007. In the course of an interaction with
a group of media persons on Tuesday morning, Mr Tharoor, however, exuded
confidence that he would emerge victorious. “I don’t think the situation
(of having to quit the UN civil service) would arise,” he quipped.
Asked
if it was alright for him to undertake the campaign for the post of
Secretary General as a candidate of his country while still being a
UN Under Secretary General, Mr Tharoor’s reply was that from now on
until the elections, he would mostly go on earned leave and not mix
his campaign with his UN responsibilities.
Rival from
AP
Meanwhile, Mr Tharoor, who traces his roots
to Palghat in Kerala, has an aspiring rival from Andhra Pradesh who
too has put forward his credentials to the Manmohan Singh Government
to be chosen as India’s nominee for the UN top job. His identity was
not immediately available. A young Andhraite, perhaps in his mid-30s
and doing a “small job” in his home state has sent his curriculum
vitae with a photo and details of his credentials to hold the UN high
office to the President of the UN Security Council. He has posted a
copy of the same to the External Affairs Ministry here for necessary
action.
And, he has
also outlined his agenda - he stands for world peace and, if elected, would
promote the cause of world peace. But surely he has been aiming high for some
time. Apparently, he had earlier nominated himself for a Nobel award. Obviously,
that had not made any headway. Crazy, one might say. But, from the efforts he
made to put together his CV and then know exactly, where to send it, the
applicant appeared to be very serious in his own way.
IFS,
ministry cool to Tharoor’s nomination
Times of India - 21.6.2006
- By Chldanand Rajghatta/
TNN
Washington:
The rank and file of Indian Foreign Service officers and mandarins of
the ministry of external affairs are not excited about the government’s
nomination of Shashi Tharoor as India’s candidate for UN Secretary-General.
There
is some disquiet in Indian missions in the US over what is seen as an
initiative of the Congress party and the Prime Minister’s Office to
nominate Tharoor, without first building a political and national consensus.
The MEA, they say, was not in the loop and has been handed a fait accompli
to work for Tharoor’s success.
“A lot of sweat
and blood has gone into efforts to make India’s case for a UN Security Council
seat.
‘’And
now it is a different set of instructions,” a senior diplomat told
The Times of India on condition of not being named. “No matter
how we present it, it will be read that we are-putting the UNSC bid
on a backburner.”
Foreign
service officers who TOI spoke to, and who did not want to be
named for obvious reasons, uniformly said there was no percentage for
India in Tharoor’s success.
“This
is all about an individual’s success. How is it going to help India
if he becomes Secretary-General? Did Ghana benefit from Kofi Annan?”
one official asked.
The word has quickly gotten around the foreign service grapevine that Tharoor’s nomination stems from his proximity to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and has the concurrence of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.
In his
interactions with the media, Tharoor has suggested his bid has been in
the works for several months before it was made public last week.
Washington is
still playing its card close to its chest, as US officials had said it would to
this correspondent last week.
But the
feeling in the foreign service circles on both sides is that New Delhi, known
to err on the side of caution in foreign policy matters, would not have
made a such a big and brazen move without consulting the Bush administration
and its friends among the P-5.
One explanation
for New Delhi’s nomination of Tharoor is that it is a trial run for India’s
Security Council bid.
The new
UN SG will be expected to carry out sweeping reforms in the UN and the
expanding the Security Council will be part of that reform. The process
could take years, by which time Tharoor, if elected, would have served
out at least one term and set the stage for the changes.
But the
Indian Foreign Service is fearful that if the Tharoor bid fails, it
would be a set back for India’s UNSC bid.
“The
government is staking its prestige behind this. What happens if Tharoor
does not make it? What happens to the UNSC bid if he does become Sec-Gen?”
wondered one official, pointing out that by convention the Permanent
five did not take up the UNSG office.
Meantime,
the word out of Pakistan is that it might not put up its own candidate
and would instead like to work for an Asian consensus, though this does
not mean it will back Tharoor.
US open
to Tharoor candidature
Times of India - 23.6.2006
- By Chidanand Rajghatta/TNN
Washington:
The United States has the ‘greatest regard’ for Shashi Tharoor,
India’s candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, but has not
yet made a decision on who it will back in the race to succeed Kofi
Annan, a senior Bush administration official has said.
“This is a
decision President Bush will make... I don’t think he will make this decision
until much further into the process,” US undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns
told reporters on Wednesday.
Burns’
remarks is a positive development for India’s candidate considering
that senior US administration officials like John Bolton had earlier
indicated they were against UN insiders succeeding Annan. Tharoor is
currently an under secretary-general at the UN.
Burns
did not endorse that position or comment on Tharoor’s insider status,
saying: “I don’t want to make any specific comment because that
would not be fair to all the other candidates out there. It is too early
for us to make a commitment, but we certainly respect Tharoor and I
look forward to meeting him in a couple of weeks,” he added.
But his
remarks left little doubt that the President would make the call on
the matter, and previous US position on insiders notwithstanding, the
Bush administration is not averse to Tharoor’s candidature.
The dominant
sense in diplomatic circles is that US support, and indeed, endorsement by the
permanent five members of the Security Council, is needed for any candidate to
be successful in the race, despite remarks by officials from
developing countries that they will not simply rubber stamp a P-5 candidate.
While
three other Asian candidates from Sri Lanka, Thailand and South Korea
are already in the fray, there are expectations that Singapore’s former
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong might. also join the race.
But Tharoor
will arrive in Washington next week with a strong hand after winning
endorsement from the broad spectrum of Indian political parties during
his visit to India this past week. Such cross-party support should also
enable him override the lukewarm response from the rank and file foreign
service Mandarins, who will be required to pitch for him in various
world capitals.
While some in
Washington might seek to hold the UN insider status against him, he is
considered an accomplished figure. The author of eight books, his India:
Midnight to Millennium is cited as a must read in US political circles for those
wishing to understand India.
Why has PM confirmed Tharoor
as UN candidate?
Deccan Herald - 25.6.2006
Governments
in New Delhi, whatever their ideological colouring, tend to jump the
gun or procrastinate. In the Tharoor case the Manmohan administration
has done the first. And it has done so without that collective application
of mind expected of a mature leadership. Tharoor as UN undersecretary-general
for communications and information has proved himself to be a highly
personable young man, very competent in his job as a super PR spokesman,
extremely articulate, suave and persuasive, with an unusual ability
to strike the right note and say the right thing. All of which regrettably
brings into high relief his lack of political experience.
As he
himself has emphasised he is an organisation man, identified with the
administrative side of the UN for twenty-eight years, “passionately
committed” to the institution and with a “personal stake” in the
success of the world body. Yet none of these factors has any bearing
on the selection process for the post of secretary-general. Nor does
his “closeness” to’ Kofi Annan and insider status help, or his
rather offbeat public advocacy of his own case, or his naive proclamation
that he is an Indian and sees himself as a national offering”.
So why has the PM confirmed him as the national candidate when there
are grounds for two serious reservations?
First
he falls short as a candidate, particularly against the political heavy
weights some of our neighbouring states are expected to field. Second
it doesn’t do, in the national interest to have the wrong man in
the UN’s top job even if he is an Indian and his sincerity
is clear for everyone to see.
Mishandling
of external affairs
Is it true that the
PMO has foisted this on the MEA, given that there is no trace in it
of the latter’s professional expertise? If so there is here yet another
instance of a serious mismanagement of external affairs the fallout
from which will be more than unfortunate. It will do nothing to strengthen
India’s case for a permanent seat in the Security Council. It ignores
the convention that tacitly rules out the candidacy of a major country.
It has ignored the claims of fellow Asian countries like Thailand and
Sri Lanka which had taken New Delhi’s
support for granted. Pakistan’s usual competitive spirit has
come into play, as it always does where India is involved.
In short,
New Delhi’s glaringly unprofessional initiative ranks as one of those
goofs that is best received in embarrassed silence. No one seems to
have consulted anyone and when Tharoor made his unsolicited offer on a plate it
was politely, uncritically and naively received
Gotta be grey? No Way!
Times of India 1.7.2006
|
Are youthful looks
in top positions
a shade
tricky? BT
asks some young leaders
|
|
|
|
Amitabh Das,
CEO of a recruitment consultancy, only 35, says what matters is your
contribution, “what value you bring to the table, your ability to make
decisions.”
Vishal Gondal, 29, CEO of India’s first gaming company says he started his
company when only 16. “When I wanted to start a gaming company, I was told I
was stupid, and it wouldn’t work. A grey-haired person would never have
thought of such an idea. The plus point of youth is that you don’t come with
baggage.”
There’s also Vinnie Mehta, young chief of Manufacturers Association of
Information Technology (MAlT), who laughs: “More than grey hair, it’s grey
matter that matters. Your skill sets, or what you have to offer are more
important. The industry is young, young employees are major contributors. So
while there is respect for grey hair, there is also respect for young
India.”
GEETHA RAO
geetrao@indiatimescom |
SHASHI
THAROOR, India’s nomination for UN chief, was recently asked on TV
if he wasn’t too young-looking for the post. Tharoor, 50, claimed
he had enough grey hair! The exchange typically marks India’s reverence
for age, and not taking leaders with youthful looks so seriously. Young
CEOs and head honchos interpret their situation in black and white:
Atul Jalan,
CEO of a software services company, who’s 36 and looks younger says,
“Earlier, I’d dress down, use sober colours to make up for the lack
of grey hair. I wanted to be seen as more than a youthful guy. Initially,
there were some awkward moments. But people overcome their initial impression.
In fact, they equate youth with energy.”
In the
west, youth is not looked down upon, says Jalan “Look at Tony Blair.
He’s
had a child while he was PM. India looks at things differently. People
in authority are older here. But youthfulness nowadays is associated
with passion and out-of-the-box thinking. And that you are not cynical.”
But Krishnan,
a young director in a technology company who’s faced the reverse,
says, “Grey hair or balding or a receding hairline has an advantage.
It’s alright as long as I speak to a CEO over the phone. But in a
face-to-face meeting, I have seen the guy’s jaw drop.” Ditto when
he gives them his visiting card: they give him a once-over. “So, it
means that I have to try a little extra to convince people. Of course,they
come around when they know you know your business and you know their
business too. Not that lack of grey hair has a negative fallout, but
age carries weight. Now that I’m greying, I’m proud of it.”
Tharoor
hits Africa for support
Deccan Herald - 5.7.2006
- From K Subrahmanya
DH News Service
NEW DELHI:
With the Indian government extending its helping hand, the country’s candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General Shashi
Tharoor has started his campaign to shape international opinion
and mobilise numbers for his nomination.
Accompanied
by Shashi U Tripathi, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External
Affairs, Mr Tharoor was in Banjul, capital of the West African
country of The Gambia, to interact with African leaders on the sidelines
of the African Union summit on July1.
Reaching
Banjul well ahead of the summit on June 29, Mr.Tharoor interacted with
African leaders and addressed a pre-summit meeting of all foreign ministers on June 30, both in
French and English.
“Mr
Shashi Tharoor, Under Secretary General at the United Nations and India’s
candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General, visited Banjul (The
Gambia) from June 29 to July 1, 2006 to interact with African leaders
during the African Union (AU) Summit in Banjul, and seek their support
for his candidature. In a special gesture, he was invited as a
special invitee at the State Banquet hosted by the President of The
Gambia.
“African
leaders responded to Mr Tharoor’s candidature in highly supportive
terms, underlining the warmth and friendship characterising the relations
between India and African countries. They appreciated that Mr
Tharoor had chosen the AU summit to launch his campaign after
his candidature was officially announced by the Government of India,”
a statement issued by the Tripathi-led Indian delegation stated. Ms
Tripathi, who represented India, too sought support from African leaders
for Mr Tharoor’s nomination.
While
numerically, the support of the 53-member AU will be crucial if and
when Mr Tharoor’s candidature comes up before the UN General Assembly,
a pro-Tharoor sentiment among countries could help build up international
opinion in his favour as the UN Security Council takes up its responsibility
to pick up an Asian candidate for the post in a few weeks from now.
The views of
the five permanent members of Council will be decisive as no candidate who
invites the veto of any one of the five members can be considered for job. But
besides the support of five permanent members, the candidate should secure the
support of at least four of the 10 nonpermanent members. Ghana, the Republic of
Congo and Tanzania are the three non-permanent members from Africa.
Tharoor
gets a ‘positive response’ from African Union
Times of India - 5.7.2006
- TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi:
The African Union summit at Banjul, Gambia, was to have been one, which
would decide whether the G-4 bid for UN Security Council had any chance
at all. Instead, it turned out to be a very successful forum for the
launch of India’s candidate for the UN secretary-general, Shashi Tharoor.
According
to diplomatic sources, Tharoor turned out to be quite a hit. .
According
to the MEA spokesperson, Tharoor accompanied the Indian delegation led
by secretary (West) Shashi Tripathi, and addressed “an informal session
of the AU executive council at the level of foreign ministers on June
30, in both French and English”.
The spokesperson
went on to say that Tharoor presented his vision for the UN emphasising
the simultaneous notions of continuity and change.
UN top
post: Lodhi not keen to contest
Times of India - 5.7.2006
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s ambassador to the UK Maleeha Lodhi is not too keen to contest
elections for the post of UN Secretary-General for which India has fielded
Shashi Tharoor.
Lodhi, an
editor-turned-diplomat, is not too eager to join the fray unless she is sure of
Islamabad mobilising significant support against Tharoor, whose nomination has
caught Pakistan by surprise, media reports said.
Pakistan has
floated several names, including that of its Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to
contest against Tharoor for the UN top job, but is yet to decide about its
strategy to take part in the election. Islamabad has become silent after giving
out several names like that of Aziz, UN permanent envoy Munir Akram, head of the
UN Population Fund Dr Nafis Sadik and Lodhi.
The issue
figured prominently in the recent conference of top Pakistan envoys held here,
but no decision has been
announced. Top diplomats, including Lodhi attended the meeting.
India formally
informed the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council on
Thursday that it has nominated UN Under Secretary and author Shashi Tharoor for
the post of the next UN Secretary General. At the moment, there are four
declared candidates including, Tharoor from India, Jayanatha Dhanapala from Sri
Lanka, the deputy PM of Thailand Surakiart Sathirathai, reportedly ASEAN’s
consensus candidate and South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon.
Korean,
Tharoor lead in UN chief race
Times of India - 26.7.2006
United
Nations: India’s nominee for the post of UN Secretary-General, Shashi
Tharoor. and South Korean foreign minister’ Ban Ki Moon have emerged
key contenders among the four declared candidates for the top post in
the first informal poll held by the 15-member Security Council.
While
Tharoor got second highest endorsements after Moon in the straw
poll held on Monday night, Thai deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai
and Sri Lankan Jayantha Dhanapala got third and fourth places in the
poll, diplomats said.
The straw
poll marked the beginning of the selection process which could last
till October. New candidates can be introduced at any stage till the
final election is made. The new secretary general is to take over on
January 1 next year from incumbent Kofi Annan who retires after completing
two terms on December 31 this year.
Under a new procedure ‘adopted by the Council, the ballot of each candidate
had three boxes ‘encourage’, discourage and no opinion. The members
were expected to check one box.
Tharoor
received ten ‘encouragements’, two ‘discouragements’ and
three ‘no opinions’. Ban got 12 ‘encouragements’, one ‘discouragements’
and three ‘no opinions’ to emerge the top contender.
Sathirathai,
who has been endorsed by ASEAN, received seven ‘encouragements’,
three ‘discouragements’ and five ‘no opinions’. Dhanapala,
a former UN disarmament under Secretary General, could manage only five
‘encouragements’, but got six ‘discouragements’ and four ‘no
opinions’ to finish at the bottom.
Each member of
the Council votes separately for each candidate. Thus one member can vote
‘encouragement’ for more than one candidate.
However, it was
not clear how the five veto-wielding permanent members voted as all
members were given similar ballots.
At a later
stage, the permanent members would be given ballots of different colour
or asked to mark the ballot in a different colour ink to establish if
any candidate has attracted veto. That would be an important stage for
candidates to determine their viability.
The voting was
secret and the results were to be officially communicated only to the
ambassadors of the countries whose have fielded the candidate to enable
them to decide whether or not they want their candidate to continue in the fray.
The Council
officially did not announce the results, but diplomats coming out of the Council
informally briefed reporters about how the candidates were placed.
Agencies
So far
so good
Times of India - 26.7.2006 - By T P
Sreenivasan
Two years
ago, when a candidature was announced for the post of UN secretarygeneral,
it was done on the strength of the English proverb, “The early bird
catcheth the worm”. Does that hold true now? The first ‘straw poll’
in the Security Council on which country would bag the secretary-general’s
post - South Korea 12 positive, one negative and two abstentions; India
10 positive, two negative and three abstentions; Thailand seven positive,
three negative and five abstentions; and Sri Lanka five positive, six
negative and four abstentions - showed that the two early candidates
have not done better than the later ones from South Korea and India.
The vagaries of
international politics are such that reputations are made and unmade in a day.
Internal changes in Thailand and Sri Lanka have virtually swept away their
candidates, though their credentials were never in question.
The straw
poll results, which are confidential, but leaked around the globe, should
give India cause for cautious comfort, as Shashi Tharoor has come a
strong second to South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon. Tharoor received 10 positive
votes and two negative as against Ki-moon’s 12 positive and one negative
vote. Considering that the Indian campaign is barely one month old as
against the intensive South Korean campaign of nearly a year, it is
clear that Tharoor has made an impact in a short time.
The results
are a morale booster to both South Korea and India and it is quite possible
that Jayantha Dhanapala, who polled more negative than positive votes,
may withdraw and ASEAN will come up with a new candidate. The path might
have been cleared for a common South Asian candidate. Indications from
Colombo are clearly in favour of India, though a candidate from Pakistan
could well replace Sri Lanka’s Dhanapala. But the world will easily
see through such a ploy by Pakistan.
Although India
has obtained two votes less than South Korea and one more negative vote, it has
an edge over South Korea, as it is the only G-77 and non-aligned country which
has done well. The non-aligned movement is already on record as having committed
to one of its own members. Any fear that a non-aligned candidature may not be
viable should now be removed, since India had a strong showing in the first
round. Instead of looking for a new candidate, it will be logical for
non-aligned countries to rally around India as they traditionally do.
The fact that Tharoor, a UN insider,
has done better than a serving deputy prime minister and a non-proliferation
enthusiast should make an impression. There is also no such thing as a big
country syndrome in the minds of majority of the members of the Security
Council. The straw poll has imposed an illusion of equality on permanent and
non-permanent members, as votes at this stage are indistinguishable. But,
interestingly, all candidates have negative votes and if these have been cast by
permanent members, the whole slate of candidates will go up in smoke.
The hope, of course, is that
permanent members have either abstained or cast positive votes for the Indian
candidate. Even if this is not the case, the strong showing by India should have
an impact on those who have not yet made up their minds.
Well begun is only half done.
Much remains in terms of projecting the strong showing of the Indian candidate
and seeking South Asian and wider support for Tharoor. One thing that is certain
after the straw poll is that the next secretary-general will be from Asia. If
the solidarity of developing countries prevails in the next round and
India gathers greater support than Korea, even the doubting permanent members
will come around. In any event, the first poll has more than vindicated the
decision of the Indian government to offer Tharoor as a candidate. The
conversations that the prime minister had in St Petersburg may well have turned
the tide in favour of India.
The writer is
a former diplomat.
Tharoor,
Ki-Moon lead UN race
Deccan Herald - 26.7.2006
UNITED
NATIONS, XINHUA: South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon and India’s Shashi Tharoor
were in the lead to become the next UN secretary-general, according
to the first straw poll held here.
The UN
Security Council held its first straw poll on Monday on candidates
vying to replace current UN chief Kofi Annan next year.
UN diplomats,
who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Ki-Moon had received the
most favourable votes followed by Tharoor. Ki-Moon received 12 “encouragements”,
one “discouragement” and two “no opinions”, while Tharoor got
10 “encouragements”, two “discouragements” and three “no
opinions”, a diplomat disclosed.
Thailand’s
Surakiart Sathirathai and Sri Lanka’s Jayantha Dhanapala were
in third and fourth places.
‘UN is
both stage and actor’
Deccan Herald - 2.9.2006
- By D Ravi Kanth
Shashi
Tharoor, India’s candidate in the race to replace Kofi Annan as the next
Secretary-General, is busy knocking on the doors of key Security Council members
for support.
|
|
|
Shashi
Tharoor: I’m one of those who believe strongly that the UN needs to be
reformed not because it failed but it has accomplished enough that it is
worth investing in. |
During an indicative
ballot last month, he came second after
South Korea’s foreign minister.
Shashi, as he is popularly known in the UN system, spelt out his
tasks and agenda if elected as Secretary-General in a free-wheeling
interview to Deccan Herald.
There
is considerable pessimism at this juncture about the ineffectualness
of the United Nations...
First of all,
I think you have been very unfair because, the UN throughout its
existence had both successes and failures. Unfortunately, we
had people writing us off in the past as well.
The bottom-line
is that the cynicism is misplaced because the UN is an institution that
should not be judged on one or two issues. If the UN is going wrong in one
place, in other places one will find parallel successes. I am not one who is
alarmed by this criticism but I would argue that there are areas in which the UN
can do better.
I’m one of
those who believe strongly that the UN needs to be reformed not because it
failed but it has accomplished enough that it is worth investing in.
The
UN is found wanting in grappling with global challenges.
The political
challenge is how to live with the framework we have at this time. Clearly,
Security Council reform is essential because it represents the realities of 1995
and not the geo-political situation of 2006.
Equally it is
true that the threshold for the enlargement of the Council is very high and as
and when it takes place, it will make the Council more effective. What we
need is a right balance between effectiveness as well as efficiency in the very
delivery of UN services.
Are
you suggesting that UN’s internal reform must take precedence over
institutional reform of the Council?
.
Well, these
contradictions are built into the heart of the UN. Sometimes I explain to the
people that we (UN) are both a stage and actor. We are a stage where
member states play
their act in which their political agendas dictate their positions.
And then we are an actor in which once member states have agreed on
a resolution, we implement it without any delay.
Is internal
reform your priority if elected?
Well, internal reform
is a top priority. And it is something we have to work in partnership
with the governments. There are a number of things.
But the big point is the UN is a 20th century organisation that
has to deal with the realities of the 21st century. This is a
part of the challenge.
On management
reform, there are certain things which the Secretary-General can do on his own,
particularly in the area of ethics, transparency and governance. And that
requires members approval, particularly anything that requires budgetary
approval.
So it is
important for the new Secretary-General to work hand in hand with member-states
through issue-based coalitions.
Second,
we need to improve the operational efficiency of the organisation. I
think there is an urgent need to
improve the operational capacity
in every area starting with development in peace-keeping, in humanitarian
relief, and in human rights to multiply our presence in the field. The
Secretary-General must lead and must be able to do.
Does
this mean that you are prepared to reduce the traditional political
/public diplomacy role with which secretary-Generals are identified?
The political
diplomacy role is vital as well. Both public and private diplomacy are
essential and more so, the public diplomacy is acutely essential in
the 21st century. You do need very much the capacity to project the
organisation through media and also public diplomacy. That is the kind
of a job that needs to be done.
How
do you plan to grapple with international political challenges such
as Iran, North Korea?
I have been
within the UN for the last 28 years and I know how it functions in partnership
with governments.
There
is no magic wand or magic formula that I can tell you that if I am elected
I will solve these problems.
I have
to work with 192 countries on the basis of the spirit of engagement. Political will is fundamental and my approach would
be to talk to governments, different governments on different issues.
The structure I depend on within the organisation
is focused, streamlined, to deliver results.
The
US is not in favour of an internal candidate... you are closely identified
with Kofi Annan, who is disliked in certain quarters of the US Republican
administration?
That is not
correct. There is one US official who made such a comment but that is not the
position of the US government, which has made it clear that it is not their
policy. Yes, there are some who imply that if by insider, you are a complacent
bureaucrat I don’t want to be.
I would not
want to be that insider and I am proud to say that in my 28 years, people may
have never called me a stereotype bureaucrat. I have approached (issues) with
creativity, innovation and have been ready to change.
As regards
my association with Kofi Annan, I am not going to walk away from a man
I’m very proud to have worked with all these years. He has brought
about real change. Having said that, I must add we are different individuals.
Anyone
who knows me and who knows Kofi Annan would tell immediately how different
we are. We are from different generations, the backgrounds are different
and the instincts are different. I hope the world will allow me the
luxury of making my own mistakes.
Pakistan’s
ambassador to the UN in New York said since India had proposed you as
its candidate, New Delhi’s chances of securing membership in the Security
Council have been undermined. Do you agree with this assessment?
One has to
understand what their objection is based on. If it is based on passport, that
can’t be sustained. After all, I am not going to work for the government of
India. I would represent
the 192-member organisation. So it can’t be that I’m going to be
hostile to Pakistan. I worked closely with various Pakistanis at various levels
and I see myself as an international civil servant.
On the question
of Council reform, I would argue that the issues are different. The Council
reform is kicking around since 1992 with. an open-end working group working on
this issue. You have to
work on the diagnosis and the Council is outdated and not representative.
It’s tough for Tharoor
as Jordan Prince enters ring
Times of India - 8.9.2006
- By Indrani Bagchi/TNN
New Delhi: Shashi Tharoor’s candidacy for the UN top job was an uphill task from
the beginning. And it’s just got a lot tougher with Jordan formally
nominating Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Ai-Hussein, cousin of King Abdullah
II, descendant of the Prophet and one of the stellar faces of the Islamic
world for the job.
The announcement
did not catch India by surprise because it was clear from the beginning
that the next UN Secretary-General had to be a consensus candidate between
China and the US. In fact, confidential assessments in India had early
on homed in on Prince Zeid or a Singapore candidate, possibly Goh Chok
Tong, as the likely probables.
The nomination
of Prince Zeid, Jordan’s permanent representative at the UN, shows
a strong US hand, given the Bush administration’s current priorities.
If elected, Prince Zeid will be the first Muslim UNSG, a darn sight
more attractive in a world where the average Muslim is beginning to believe
that the clash of civilisations is nigh.
The next
straw poll for the job is due for the end of this month, by which time
another “serious” candidate could well emerge - the names doing
the rounds are UNDP head Kemal Dervis from Turkey, former Malaysian
deputy PM Anwar Ibrahim, Singapore’s ambassador to Washington Chan
Heng Chee and New Zealand PM Helen Clark.
If Tharoor
loses out in the next straw poll, India might quietly ask him to withdraw
gracefully. But Tharoor’s failure will be seen as India’s failure.
China
too weighed against Tharoor and the assessment in South Block is no
candidate has a fighting chance without the backing of the US and China.
But, as
confidential assessments in India had it from the early days, the decision would
be made on a bigger platform - and Middle East, the Islamic world, is out there
as the biggest global concern right now.
Tharoor
pipped by S Korean minister in poll
Deccan Herald - 15.9.2006
UNITED NATIONS, PTI:
India’s candidate Shashi Tharoor on Thursday suffered a slight setback
in the second straw poll for the post of United Nations Secretary General,
coming second after South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, who consolidated
his position.
Diplomats said Mr Ban received 14 positive votes in the straw poll - informal voting
held at the 15-mernber UN Security Council to guage support enjoyed
by the candidates.
The South Korean,
who got 11 positive votes in the last straw poll held in July, polled
only one negative vote. But it was not clear whether the one negative
vote was cast by a veto wielding permanent member.
Mr Tharoor got
10 positive votes just as he had done in the previous poll but this
time he got three negative votes with two expressing no opinion.
Last time,
three council members had expressed no opinion and two had cast negative votes.
Thai Deputy
Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai remained on the third position
and new entrant Prince Zeid Hussein of Jordan could get only fourth
place, belying the hope that he would be a strong candidate.
Sri Lanka’s Jayanta Dhanapala was last.
Mr Tharoor, who has New Delhi. solidly
backing his candidature, has worked for the United Nations for 28 years.
Message
conveyed, my chances are good: Tharoor
Deccan Herald - 29.9.2006
As the
race for the UN Secretary General’s job enters its final phase, India’s
candidate, Shashi Tharoor, says if chosen his priorities would be the
education of girls and the streamlining of ‘the UN’s peacekeeping
operations, In an exclusive interview to Deccan Herald
in New York, Tharoor said, “I am also very much committed to ethics
and transparency and accotuntability through an efficient audits system.”
How is the Secretary
General chosen?
Essentially
what happens is that: The Security Council sends one name to the General
Assembly and the General Assembly so far has tended to rubber stamp it.
So the
real contest is in the Security Council where there are 15 members,
of which the five who have a veto are the key ones.
In other words
you need to get a majority of the overall membership and avoid a veto from a
permanent member.
When
is the actual date of the election?
There
isn’t one. The only thing is that the Security Council picks someone
before Kofi Annan packs up and goes home on the 31st of December. So
it could be any time before the end of the year. In practice we expect
that October/November will be the key months and most probably October.
How
do you rate your own chances?
Pretty
good. First of all no candidate says he doesn’t have a chance, so
I’m not saying anything that you won’t hear from any of the candidates.
We all believe that we’re in this to win and I certainly am. My own
feeling is that my contacts with governments, my visits to various capitals
and my opportunities to put my message across have all gone rather well.
What
are your priorities?
There
are a number of priorities that a Secretary General has to cope
with. One of the priorities is recognising that you cannot have just
one priority. In my mind a priority is to make this 20th century organisation
fit for the 21st challenges of the UN. A second is linked to the old
issue of getting our operational capacity in the field with humanitarian
action, peace keeping and development work up to scratch and running.
A Secretary
General is obviously responsible as the chief administrator of this organisation for having an efficient focused and able secretariat, which
both reflects the diversity of our planet. That’s on the internal
side.
I am also
very much committed to ethics and transparency and accountability through
an efficient audits system. Having said that, I think there are substantive
areas I would like to focus on as well. The development area is a huge
one for the UN. The millennium development goals made by world leaders
who gathered in New York in 2000 was to fulfill certain targets by 2015,
such as poverty reduction, HIV / Aids, education, sanitation and so
on.
Within
those my own personal favourite that I would like to give a lot of
personal attention to is the education of girls I am not only convinced of the value
of this, but I think increasingly studies from a number of institutions
have confirmed that it’s the closest thing you have to a magic bullet:
When you educate a boy, you educate a person. When you educate a girl,
you educate a family and transform a society.
An educated
girl is an empowered girl, she is less vulnerable to abuse and exploitation,
less vulnerable to HIV/Aids and sexual diseases and when she grows up and
becomes a mother, she is herself able to bring up children through healthy
practices and educate her own children again.
What
else?
In peacekeeping
there’s a lot that needs to be done, both in terms of speeding up and
making more efficient our deployment of troops that sometimes takes too long. I
would like to see the western countries come back into peacekeeping.
We should have the Canadians, the Scandinavians, the Irish, the Brits back
under the UN flag.
What
will you do if you are not successful?
I haven’t
thought about it. I don’t have a plan B, I’m focused very much on this race and
winning it. I’ve devoted my entire adult life to the institution of the UN and
that’s where my target is. I assume if I don’t win I’ll have to find something
different to do. But I haven’t begun looking as yet.
As a
youngster were you focused on the UN as a future career option?
I was always
interested in world affairs. But I came of age just when the Emergency was
declared and that was not a good time for people who were aspiring to serve the
Indian government. So I never actually tested myself against the mandarins of
the Foreign Service.
I sought a role
in international affairs through the UN, but I didn’t seriously think of a
role in the UN until just before I joined it 28 years ago.
Ban scandal
keeps alive Tharoor bid
Times of India - 30.9.2006
Decisive
Poll On Monday
By Chidanand Rajghatta/TNN
Washington:
India’s and Shashi Tharoor’s bid for the UN secretary-general’s
post, which was flickering, might come alive following
an unexpected report that the South Korean front-runner has used monetary
clout to pull in support. A more decisive poll is set for Monday after
which candidates may decide whether to drop out.
|
|
|
•Tharoor is
just one vote short of the magic number 9.
•The Times has reported South Korea spent money on countries to buy support.
•While electing the secretary-general, the General Assembly has to okay the
UNSC nominated member. |
Tharoor’s
run for the prestigious office failed to make headway in the third and
final straw poll in which he again came runner-up to South Korea’s
foreign minister Ban Ki-moon, who had also won the first two polls.
In fact, Tharoor lost ground in the third round, getting eight encouragements
on Thursday (down from 10 earlier this month), with three negatives
and two no opinions from among the 15 Security Council members.
Tharoor’s
rejection could be an embarrassment, but it would hardly be a reflection
of India’s geo-political standing. In fact, secretary-generals have
never been from countries with clout.
Critics
have also suggested New Delhi failed to put its weight behind Tharoor
when it mattered most, with PM Manmohan Singh missing the UN General
Assembly session earlier this month.
A candidate
needs at least nine encouragements in the final cut. Ban too slipped
a bit, getting 13 encouragements (down from 14 in the second poll),
one. discourage and one no opinion. But he was well ahead of six other
contenders, including late entrant Latvian president Vaira Vike-Freiberga,
the only non Asian and woman in the race, who came third with 7-6-2.
But Ban’s
bid could be headed for last-minute trouble, with the Times,
London, reporting that South Korea had spent large sums of money to
win support.
It said a month
after announcing his candidature, South Korea said it would triple its aid
budget to Africa to $100 million by 2008. Seoul then contributed tens of
thousands of pounds to sponsor the African Union summit in Gambia in July.
Ban declared
2006 to be the ‘Year of Africa’ for South Korea. He also pledged
$18 million for an educational programme in Tanzania, a country which
has a UNSC seat. Tanzania has backed Ban.
In the
unprecedented, but non-binding, straw polls, council members marked ballots to
“encourage, discourage or express no opinion”.
Though
the race is technically not over, Tharoor had indicated it might be
hard to challenge Ban if he did not improve his showing.
The fact that
he dropped to eight encouragements means he is now one short of the magic
number.
“Not
yet (over). We’ll know only on Monday,” Tharoor said in a brief
e-mail to TOI, sent before the Times
expose hit the wires.
S
Korea using foreign aid to buy votes: Report
It’s advantage Tharoor
Deccan Herald - 1.10.2006
LONDON,
PTI: India’s Shashi Tharoor’s bid for UN secretary-generalship may
stand a chance with a report claiming that South Korea has been spending
millions of dollars in aid and offering other incentives to Security
Council members to get support for its candidate Ban Ki Moon.
In its
aggressive campaign on behalf of Ban, the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Trade and the frontrunner to succeed Kofi Annan, Seoul has been
offering “inducements ranging from tens of millions of pounds of extra-funding
for African countries, to lucrative trade agreements in Europe and even
the gift of a grand piano to Peru,” The Times
has reported.
South Korea,
according to the report, has denied the allegation that it was using foreign aid
as a means of buying votes in the Security Council.
“I would
like to stress that the allegations against Ban Ki Moon and, moreover,
the integrity of the Korean Government do not correspond with the facts,”
In Joon Chung, the spokesman for the South Korean Embassy in London,
said.
He said Seoul
had decided in 2002 to increase aid to the developing world. Ban’s prospects
received a dent when he slipped back in a new secret ballot by the Security
Council on Wednesday.
While Ban
remained the clear front-runner, he received support from only 13 of the 15
Council members, one less than in the previous ballot.
A further
ballot will be held on Monday, with coloured cards to show if the negative
vote comes from a veto-bearing permanent member.
Britain
and France both appear to harbour hopes that new candidates will still
emerge, the report said.
Besides
50-year-old Tharoor, UN’s Under-Secretary General for Communications
and Public Information, other candidates include Surakiart Sathirathai,
the ousted Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Prince Zeid Raad Zeid
al-Hussein, the Jordanian Ambassador to the UN and Ashraf Ghani, the
former Afghan Finance Minister and President Vike-Freiberga of Latvia.
In the secret
ballot, barring Ban, have received the nine positive votes necessary to be
elected. It is broadly accepted at the UN that the winning candidate should be
an Asian citizen.
UN top
job: Moon eclipses Tharoor
Deccan Herald - 4.10.2006
UNITED
NATIONS, IANS: India’s nominee Shashi Tharoor bowed out of the race
for UN secretary-general after South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon
won Monday’s crucial straw poll with no opposition from any of the
five veto-bearing powers.
Ban received
14 “encourage” and one “no-opinion” votes in the informal poll
among 15 Security Council ambassadors on seven candidates vying for
the job to replace Kofi Annan, who leaves office December 31.
For the
fourth time in a row Tharoor, 50, currently UN under secretary-general
for public information, finished second with 10 votes in his favour
- same as in the first two ballots, but two more than in the last one.
Tharoor’s candidature sank as there was one veto-holding member among
the three voting against him.
Two others
had “no opinion”. To be recommended to the General Assembly, a candidate
must get at least nine positive votes and no veto in the Security Council.
With Ban’s selection nearly assured, thanks to his practically unbeatable
lead over his six competitors in the poll, Tharoor made it clear he
was withdrawing from the race.
“I have
written to Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon to express my warmest congratulations
on the outcome of the poll,” Tharoor said. “It is clear that he
will be our next secretary-general.”
Tharoor
told reporters he would “strongly support” Ban because “the United
Nations and the world has a stake in his success”. In 3rd place was
Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only woman and non-Asian
in the race, with five positive votes, two less than in the last straw
poll.
An official
poll is expected to be held on October 9 after which the 192member UN General
Assembly must approve the recommendation.
Disappointment
Tharoor’s
exit from the race has “disappointed, but not surprised” diplomats
and UN-watchers here, and has sparked speculation as to which of the
five permanent members could have voted against the Indian.
In South
Block, the news of Tharoor’s withdrawal from the race was received
with “disappointment,” but officials tried to put a brave face on
it and praised Tharoor, the youngest candidate at 50, for his can-do
spirit and his exhaustive campaign to the world’s leading capitals
to muster support for his candidature.
“What
it proves is that if you don’t get the P-5 on the side, you don’t
win,” Lalit Mansingh, former foreign secretary, told IANS.
A former
diplomat, who does not wish to be quoted, however, speculated that it
was China that cast that exclusionary negative vote that clinched the
fate of Tharoor’s candidature. “The Chinese would not want an Indian
to run the UN. While our relations are Improving, we must accept the
fact that in the long term China and India are competitors,” he said.
As it
was Asia’s turn this term, it will now take at least another four
decades before an Indian is considered for the UN’s top job as the
election of the UN secretary-general rotates from region to region.
Burma’s U Thant was the last Asian candidate to become UN secretary-general
(1961-71).
A diplomatic
double whammy
Deccan Herald - 4.10.2006
- DH NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI: The
last few days have been bad for Indian diplomacy.
Late on
Monday, Shashi Tharoor bowed out of the race for the UN SecretaryGeneral’s
post at the UN headquarters in New York as the original favourite for
the post and South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon virtually won
the requisite backing of the UN Security Council, particularly its five
Permanent Members.
The Manmohan
Singh government which had formally announced Mr Tharoor as India’s
official candidate in mid-June for the election to succeed Kofi Annan,
was understandably silent about his exit from the race.
External
Affairs Ministry officials chose not to make any comment on Tuesday
about the negative development in New York. This was in sharp contrast
to the fanfare with which the government had announced Mr Tharoor’s
candidature on June 15.
While
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who also holds direct charge of External
Affairs portfolio was away from the country during the day, there were
other reasons for the stony silence on the part of top Ministry officials.
Just on
Friday last, another of the Singh government’s key diplomatic initiative
had suffered a serious reverse. The Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation
deal, on which it had focussed its diplomatic efforts for over a year,
confronted uncertainty as the US Senate failed to endorse it ahead
of the November Congressional elections in the United States.
The fate of the
deal hangs in balance since the biennial Congressional elections might cost
President Bush’s Republican Party its majority in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate.
The Senate
could not approve the deal because of serious reservations on the part of
Democratic party leaders.
Therefore, if
the Democrats were to secure majority in the two Houses, the deal might as well
run against a Democratic hurdle.
The Manmohan
Singh government has also maintained a studied silence over the
development in the US Congress.
Bigger
challenge
A bigger
diplomatic challenge awaits the government on the Pakistan front.
Much as the Prime Minister agreed with President Pervez Musharraf on
a joint mechanism to deal with the problem of terrorism, that
agreement might as well run into problem even before the two sides work
out details of the mechanism.
Islamabad has
already started talking in terms of conditions about its implementation in
the wake of the Mumbai police’s revelation on Saturday last that Pakistan was
deeply involved in the July Mumbai blasts.
The Prime
Minister has already been facing flak from intelligence and security
experts on the joint mechanism agreement with Gen Musharraf on the ground
that it had equated Pakistan with India on the terror issue.
With a
new Foreign Secretary in Shiv Shankar Menon assuming office in the midst
of these diplomatic setbacks, the government might be prompted to undertake
a quick stock-taking on diplomatic front, said a ministry official on
Tuesday.
Tharoor
bows out of UN race
Times of India - 4.10.2006
- By Chidanand Rajghatta/TNN
Washington:
Shashi Tharoor is not only satisfied but also grateful for the Government
of India’s support for his now-failed bid to become the United Nations
Secretary General.
Shortly
after bowing out of the race on Monday following South Korean foreign
minister Ban Ki-Moon’s win in the fourth straw poll, Tharoor said
he had “absolutely no complaints” about
New Delhi’s efforts. “We’ve nothing to reproach... speaking for
me and the government of India. We did our best, we came second,”
he told UN correspondents after conceding the race and sending a congratulatory
message to Ban.
“Though
I’ve never been an official of the government, I consider it a great honour to have been the bearer of India’s nomination, as well as of
the hopes and aspirations of so many well-wishers in India and around
the world. I’ve been humbled by the support, good wishes and prayers
they have conveyed to me,” he said in a statement. Ban won the fourth
straw poll comfortably with 14 encouragement votes, including support
from all five permanent SC members.
Tharoor
came second again, as he did in previous straw polls, with 19 encourage
votes, three discourage votes and one no opinion. At least one of the
discourage votes is believed to be from a permanent SC member, which
amounts to a veto and end of any bid. That member is believed to be
the United States.
There was a
brief flicker of uncertainty over Ban’s choice following an expose in a British
daily last week detailing South Korea’s aggressive bid to court votes through
large financial contributions, but the Security Council members evidently
ignored the story in expressing almost total confidence in Ban. The 15-member
Security Council, including the P-5, will now have a formal vote on October 9
before sending Ban’s nomination to the 192-member General Assembly which is
expected to rubberstamp the choice.
Govt
wasn’t informed: That Shashi
Tharoor would fail to make the grade in the UN sweepstakes was no surprise,
what raised eyebrows here on Tuesday was that he apparently dashed off
from the race without informing his biggest supporter, the Indian government.
Hence,
the official announcement of withdrawal of his candidature will only
be made after PM Manmohan Singh returns from South Africa and not in
tandem in New Delhi and New York as, government sources said, should
have been the case.
Did US
undoTharoor bid?
Deccan Herald - 5.10.2006
- From K Subrahmanya
- DH News Service
NEW DELHI:
There is nothing official about the straw poll, an informal and secret way of
eliciting the views of UN Security Council members on the choice of the UN
Secretary General.
But informed
sources said that India’s candidate Shashi Tharoor’s chances of
making it to the top UN job were undone by the United States. The Bush
administration is believed to have conveyed its “discouraging” vote
for Mr Tharoor’s candidature and continued to back its original favourite
for the job, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.
Positive
votes by all five permanent members of the UN are a must for the Security
Council to make its choice and recommend that choice to the UN General
Assembly for endorsement. Only the South Korean Foreign Minister has
won the endorsement of the P-5. With the US not favouring Mr Tharoor,
it mattered little for his prospects that two non-permanent members,
including Denmark, cast “discouraging” votes.
Ironically,
Delhi and Tharoor had been apprehensive that getting the positive vote
of China, another permanent member, could be a problem. But in Monday’s
straw poll, it turned out to be America that declined throw its weight
behind Mr Tharoor’s candidature.
That left Mr Tharoor little option but to pull out of the race and congratulate
the South Korean minister, who has almost won the race to succeed Kofi
Annan, whose term ends on’ December 31.
Graceful
exit
Deccan Herald - 5.10.2006
Shashi Tharoor’s
decision to pull out of the race for the UN Secretary-General’s post,
while disappointing, is a sensible one. Backed by the efforts of Indian
diplomats, Mr Tharoor put up credible challenge - he stood second in
all the straw polls held so far. In fact, he received 10 positive votes
in the latest straw poll - two more than what he received in the previous
round. However, this time he received a negative vote from a permanent
member, which in a formal poll would translate into a veto. This negative
vote from a permanent member appears to have prompted him to pull out
of the race. At least two of the permanent members were known to be
not very happy with Mr Tharoor becoming the next Secretary-General.
The Americans saw him as too closely aligned with outgoing Secretary-General
Kofi Annan and the Chinese were uneasy with an, Indian occupying the
top post. So the negative vote from a permanent member was not a surprise.
With his chances of victory in the final poll on October 9 rather dim,
Mr Tharoor decided to make a graceful exit. The strong showing of South
Korea’s Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon in the latest straw poll- he
is the only candidate to have not got a veto - indicates that he is
likely to become the next Secretary-General.
Mr
Tharoor’s exit from the race is not a setback for
India’s role on the global stage. His election
to the UN top post would have made India proud but in real terms there
was very little in it for India as the Secretary-General cannot be seen
to be promoting the interests of his own country.
Mr Tharoor’s failure
to make it to the UN Secretary General’s post carries a sobering message
for India. India might have ambitions of becoming a big power but clearly
it is yet to be accepted by members of that league. India’s relations
with the US are at an all-time high and ties with China are normalising,
but these countries remain wary of India’s ambitions. The way the
race for the Secretary-General has gone indicates that India remains
an outsider and that its quest for a seat as a permanent member in the
Security Council is unlikely to be successful any time soon.
India looks
to General Assembly for major say
Deccan Hearld - 5.10.2006
- By Indrani Bagchi/TNN
New
Delhi: India on Thursday officially named UN Under Secretary General
for Communications and Public Information Shashi Tharoor as its candidate
to succeed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, setting the stage
for a four-horse race for the prized UN job once Annan’s terms ends
next year.
Speaking
in New York, Tharoor , said that he was “honoured” by the Indian
decision to back him for the UN post. But what seemed an even more interesting
development, Indian backing for Tharoor came as New Delhi engaged in
diplomatic manouevres to move the selection process for the Secretary-General’s
post from the UN Security Council to the UN General Assembly.
Working within
the NAM and the G-77 groupings, India has reportedly floated a draft proposal
that says the UN Security Council should send a panel of three or more
candidates to the UN General Assembly for a vote by secret ballot.
According
to traditional practice, followed by the UN since 1946, the Security
Council (particularly the P-5) choose a candidate (with the 10 non-permanent
members playing a marginal role) and the UNGA merely votes its acceptance.
The Indian move to shift the centre of gravity from the UNSC to UNGA
has evoked interest considering India is a well known aspirant for the
permanent membership of the Security Council- and ought not to be working
against its own potential future interests. Needless to add, there is
no appetite among P-5 members to reduce their clout by an inch.
The United
States’ John Bolton strongly refuted the initiative saying that the Indian move
could violate the UN charter, since the General Assembly cannot tell the
Security Council what to do.
The Indian
initiative has other backers though. Canada is a strong proponent for
a similar shift, and made proposal which also says the UNSG should be
selected like the CEO of a major corporate organisation.
Meanwhile,
former US ambassador to the UN Tom Pickering and policy analyst Brian Urquhart have circulated a pamphlet proposing the modernisation of the
UN secretary-general’s election should include a more proactive
stand by the UN General Assembly
including candidates getting interviewed by UNSC members.
India’s stand was made clear by
its permanent representative to the UN Nirupam Sen.
In a hard-hitting
speech at the UNGA recently, he described the P5 as “fallen angels”,
and the current role of the Secretary-General as the “official executioner”
for the P-5.
India
has asked for an amendment to a General Assembly resolution 11(1) which
was passed in 1946 and empowers the UNSC to choose the secretary-general.
Sen argued: “The amendments to resolution should propose that ‘it
would be desirable for the Security Council to proffer a panel of at
least three candidates for the consideration of the General Assembly’.”
India formally
withdraws Tharoor’s candidature
Times of India - 7.10.2006
United
Nations : India on Friday formally withdrew Shashi Tharoor as its candidate
for the post of United Nations secretary general.
India
handed over a letter to the president of the Security Council, formally
withdrawing Tharoor’s candidature, officials said.
Tharoor,
the UN undersecretary general for communications and public information,
had on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from the race for the post of
secretary general after South Korea’s Ban KiMoon emerged the winner
of the fourth straw poll among Security Council members.
He had
then said the 62year-old Ban was a clear winner and would be the next
secretary general, succeeding Kofi Annan.
Agencies
India withdraws
candidature
Deccan Herald
- 7.10.2006
UNITED
NATIONS, PTI: India on Thursday formally withdrew Shashi Tharoor as
its candidate for the post of ‘UN secretary general. A letter was
handed over to the president of the Security Council, formally withdrawing
Tharoor’s candidature.
Tharoor,
the UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information,
had on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from the race for the post of
secretary general after South Korea’s Ban Ki-Moon emerged the winner
of the fourth straw poll among Security Council members. He had
then said the 62-year-old Ban was a clear winner and would be the next
secretary general, after Kofi Annan. Security
Council President Ambassador Kenzo Oshima of Japan had asked for a formal
letter from India.
South Korean
Successor to Annan
Moon chosen
new UN chief - Deccan Herald - 10.10.2006
UNITED
NATIONS, REUTERS: South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was formally
nominated as UN secretary-general on Monday, only hours after North
Korea defied the world body by announcing a nuclear test.
The UN Security Council voted by acclamation behind closed
doors, thereby effectively selecting Ban as successor to Secretary-General Kofi Annan, whose 10 years in office expire on December 31. Ban’s
six rivals had withdrawn from the race earlier.
The 192-member
UN General Assembly must give final approval to Ban’s nomination’ which usually
follows within a week or two. That vote is expected to be positive.
Shortly after
the vote for Ban, the 15 Security Council ambassadors went into closed
consultations on North Korea to see what action could be taken after the country
reported making a successful nuclear weapon test. The council on Friday urged
North Korea not to carry out a test, warning Pyongyang of unspecified
consequences if it did.
“I think
the fact the candidate is current foreign minister of the Republic of
Korea is an asset in dealing with the situation in the Korean peninsula
that we are now facing,” Japan’s UN Ambassador Kenzo Oshima told
reporters. “We have a very good candidate,” said Oshima, this month’s
council president. “It was the collective decision of the Security
Council to recommend Mr Ban Ki-moon to the General Assembly.”
Some diplomats
have speculated that North Korea’s announcement on October 3 of plans to carry
out the nuclear test was timed, in part, to coincide with Ban’s candidacy in an
effort to get world attention.
I did inform
PM: Tharoor
Times of India - 13.10.2006
New Delhi:
In response to a report in The Times of India
that Shashi Tharoor, India’s candidate for UN secretary-general, had
not informed the government before withdrawing his candidature, Tharoor
has clarified that he informed the Prime Minister in South Africa of
his decision as well as the permanent representative of India in the
UN.
The foreign office, which was the source of the TOI report, however, maintained that
it was in the dark until the PM returned from South Africa the next
morning.
Besides,
they also explained that Tharoor’s withdrawal could only be effective
after the Indian government had formally withdrawn his candidature,
which was done several days after his withdrawal.
Ideally,
Shashi Tharoor’s personal withdrawal should have coincided with the
official Indian withdrawal.
I am no
pushover, says Ban
Deccan Herald - 16.10.2006
UNITED
NATIONS, REUTERS: Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea, the next secretary-general
of the United Nations, pledged to be a decisive leader and cautioned
those who call him low-key not to mistake him for a pushover.
“I may
look low-key or (be) soft-spoken, but that does not mean that I lack
leadership or commitment,” Mr Ban said in his first formal interview
after his appointment by acclamation on Friday by the 192-member General
Assembly.
Modesty
and humility were considered virtues by Asians, he said, but should
not be misunderstood.
“I take decisive decisions whenever it is
necessary,” he said when asked about reports that his style made him
an uncompelling choice for the job.
Mr Ban, who is
South Korea’s Foreign Minister, comfortably beat six rivals
to win the UN Security Council’s nomination to succeed Kofi
Annan, a Ghanaian who has led the world body since 1997.
Only the
second Asian to head the United Nations Mr Ban will take over on January
1, but said he wanted to start work on the transition as soon as possible.
An aide said Mr Ban could move to New York next month.
Mr Ban
made clear that, he would travel extensively delegating much of the
day- to-day running of the 9,000- strong U N bureaucracy
to a deputy.
“The
administrative burden of the secretary-general is too much,” Mr Ban
said.
“I will try to
balance my work as a political leader as well as an administrative
leader,” he said.
Mr Ban
will start his five-year term in what Kofi Annan has called the world’s
most impossible job with a daunting agenda that stretches from the threats
of nuclear proliferation and terrorism to the reform of the United
Nations itself.
Mr Ban
sidestepped questions about future responses to North Korea’s
nuclear weapons test, such as whether he would be ready to visit
Pyongyang early next year to help defuse tensions.
Mr Ban,
who became the foreign minister in January 2004, has been closely involved
in his country’s dealings with North Korea and international
efforts to settle the nuclear crisis with the Communist government.
He declined to
discuss possible senior-level changes at the world body, saying only that he
would ensure his choices were up to the job.
Indian
0fficial at UN faces bribery charge
Case Involves
Govt Entity; Secretary General Kofi Annan Lifts Bahel’s Immunity From
Prosecution
Times of India - 3.11.2006
- Chidanand Rajghatta
/ TNN
Washington: An
Indian government official on deputation to the United Nations was arrested in
New York on Wednesday in a multi-million dollar bribery case that embarrassingly
for New Delhi involves a government of India entity.
Sanjay
Bahel, who is originally from the Indian Defence Auditing Service cadre,
has been charged with steering UN contracts worth more than $60 million
to Indian entities, including the state-owned Telecommunications Consultants
India Limited represented by Nishan Kohli, and a private firm run by
his son Nitin Kohli, in return for a swank Manhattan apartment
that was vastly undervalued in a quid pro quo.
Bahel
was held at New York’s JFK Airport, while Nitin Kohli was arrested
in Miami. The Indian government has been informed of their
arrests and the UN has provided its
final report on the matter to authorities of the United States and India,
officials said. Bahel has been in the eye of a storm at the UN for some
months now in investigations arising from the oil-for-food scandal.
A mid-level
government official who joined the UN system in the 1990s and rose to
head its commodity procurement section in Turtle Bay, Bahel is charged
by US authorities of consistently favouring the Kohlis, described as
family friends, at the expense of other legitimate bids.
In return,
according to the US indictment, Kohli bought two side-by-side apartments
in midtown Manhattan’s Dag Hammarsjold Building in 2003 on East 47th
street and provided it to Bahel and Bahel’s family rent-free for some
months, and a reduced rent of $5000 per month (against a market price
of $86,000 for two years. In May 2005, Bahel bought - the apartments
from Kohli for $1.2 million, a price so substantially be low market
value that the condominium board considered exercising its right of
first refusal to block the sale, the indictment said.
The indictment
by the US attorney-generals office follows an internal investigation
by the UN that lasted months, and which concluded that Bahel had
used his position in the procurement division to steer contracts
to Nanak Kohli, who is described as the designated US-based representative
of TCIL for dealing with the UN, and his son Nitin,Kohli, of Thunderbird
Industries.
On Wednesday,
UN officials said secretary-general Kofi Annan had lifted Bahel’s
immunity from prosecution at the request of the Manhattan federal prosecutor. Bahel
could not be contacted nor could his attorney be traced. But in earlier
interviews, Bahel had vigorously denied the charges, saying he has “good
reasons and valid reasons” for countering them. If convicted of the
charges, both Bahel and Kohli face up to 10 years in prison.
Shashi
Tharoor hints at leaving UN office
Times of India - 23.12.2006
Thiruvananthapuram:
United Nations undersecretary- general Shashi Tharoor on Friday said
he would decide on continuing in the post in January after Ban Ki-Moon
takes over as new chief of the organisation.
“If
he (Ban) feels that there is an honourable role for me, then I will
continue for another period. Or if there is no meeting of minds, I will
leave and continue to support UN from outside,” Tharoor told a meet-the-press
programme here. Tharoor, who is on a week-long private visit to his
home state of Kerala, said he is a passionate advocate of freedom of
expression. In many countries, the freedom was either abridged or curtailed.
“We have to
preserve, defend and fight for freedom of the people as development is not
possible without freedom. Development is not all about GNP tables,” he said.
Stating
that he wanted to make a solid contribution to the country of his origin, Tharoor said it was too late for him to emerge as a politician from
the grassroots. “I am trying to do it through my writings.” Tharoor
said he was planning to write a novel based on the heritage of Kerala
and his childhood environs. “I think it is time for me to write the
first novel by looking back at my own heritage and ancestry,” he said.
Tharoor
said writing was an opportunity for recharging his batteries from work,
which was very demanding.
AGENCIES
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