India abandons quest for UNSC seat: Pak envoy

United Nations, June 16: Pakistan today said India seems to have abandoned its quest for a permanent seat on the Security Council with its decision to field a candidate for the UN Secretary-Generalship but was non-committal on whether Islamabad would also put up a nominee for the coveted post.

''India's decision to field candidate for the Secretary-General post'' sends several messages,''Pakistani envoy to the UN Munir Akram told a luncheon meeting yesterday at the UN Correspondents Association. ''That's the most significant indication from our point of view.'' The meeting was scheduled much earlier than the announcement by New Delhi declaring its candidacy for the UN chief post. It named Undersecretary-General Shashi Tharoor for the post.

Mr Akram drew attention to out the tradition at the United Nations that permanent members should not seek the UN chief post. If any nation wanting permanent seat want its own candidate in the running for the top UN job, it could mean it is no longer interested in the prestigious and powerful Security Council slot.

Asked whether Pakistan would also name a candidate for the post, Mr Akram said the matter would be decided in Islamabad and it has been pending for quite sometime.

India has meanwhile rejected the Pakistani claim that it is no longer pursuing the permanent seat. ''These two issues are unrelated,'' Indian envoy to the UN Nirupam Sen said.

It is widely agreed that the next UN chief should be from Asia.

China, which held the rotating Security Council presidency in the month of April, made it clear that it wants an Asian for the post.

The secretary-general is nominated by the powerful 15-member Security Council and approved by the 191-member General Assembly.

No permanent member of the council-the US, UK, France, Russia and China-should veto the candidate.

The council will begin the process of selecting a candidate for the post from mid-July. Since there are several candidates, it goes on eliminating names through straw polls and discussions and settles on a candidate who enjoys the widest possible support from the member states.

Mr Akram sidestepped a question whether Islamabad would back a New Delhi-sponsored candidate at any time in the future. But he acknowledged that Mr Tharoor has many qualities that are well known and recognised.

Asked whether South Asia would field one single candidate, the Pakistani envoy said, ''It certainly is not an impossibility.'' Currently Sri Lanka and India have declared their candidates. Other Asian candidates are from Thailand and South Korea.

At the beginning, he explained in detail about the progress towards management reform at the global body. He is the co-chief of a panel on UN management along with Allan Rock of Canada.

UNI