PM hopeful of Tharoor's candidature for UNSG

On Board Air India One, Sep 18: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he was hopeful that Dr Shashi Tharoor, India's nominee for the post of United Nations Secretary-General, would do well in the contest for the prestigious office.

''I remain hopeful that Shashi Tharoor will give a very good account of himself in this task that he is engaged in,'' he told journalists who travelled with him to Brazil and Cuba.

Talking to them on his way home from Havana, Dr Singh said he had raised this issue with various heads of state and government he met during the 14th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in the Cuban capital on September 15 and 16.

''I told them that we have an outstanding candidate in Dr Tharoor for the post of UN Secretary General,'' he said.

He said contrary to reports in the Indian media, Dr Tharoor remained a strong contender, having come second in the latest straw poll.

''It is a difficult task. For the first time, we have dared, we have told the world that we are ready to assume our role in the management of international polity. It is not going to materialise in one day. I recognise that there are difficulties,'' he added.

UNI