South Korea's Ban likely to succeed Annan at UN

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 2 (Reuters) South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is likely to succeed Kofi Annan as UN secretary-general after cementing his lead in an informal poll today with no opposition from the five council powers.

Comfortably ahead of his five competitors in the poll, Ban's selection in nearly assured. An official poll is expected to be held on October 9 after which the 192-member UN General Assembly must approve the council's recommendation.

''It is quite clear from today's vote that Minister Ban Ki-Moon is the candidate the Security Council will recommend'' to the General Assembly, China's UN ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters.

A candidate is required to get at least nine positive votes and no veto from the 15-member UN Security Council in the race to succeed Annan, who ends his 10-year term on December 31.

In second place was Shashi Tharoor, 50, an Indian author and the UN undersecretary-general for public information with 10 votes in favor, three against -- one of which was a veto-holding member -- and two ''no opinions.'' 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.'' The informal poll was the fourth held since July and the first to distinguish between permanent members and the other 10 nations, elected for two-year terms.

Council members marked ballots to ''encourage, discourage or express no opinion'' as in three previous informal polls. Each member could vote for more than one of the seven candidates.

Ban, 62, received 14 votes in favour and one ''no opinion'' but no negative vote from any of five permanent members with veto power. The five -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China -- used blue-colored ballots, while the 10 rotating members used white ones.

In third 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.

Most council ambassadors agreed, especially at the insistence of China, that the next secretary-general should come from Asia because of a tradition that the post rotate among regions of the world.

The last Asian secretary-general was Burma's U Thant, in office from 1961-71.

The United States is known to have supported Ban.

US Ambassador John Bolton, who believes the voting process should end as soon as possible, said Washington had ''a lot of respect for Foreign Minister Ban.'' Reuters SBA VP0330