Official SC vote to pick UN chief set for Monday

United Nations, Oct 4: The Security Council will hold a formal vote on coming Monday morning to select a new UN Secretary General and recommend the same person's name to the General Assembly for approval, the Council's president has said.

Kenzo Oshima, Japanese envoy to the United Nations, told reporters yesterday as he outlined the Council work for this month that a vote has been scheduled for October 9, although it has not yet been determined whether the Council will send a name for approval to the Assembly -- which must formally elect the UN chief -- on the same day.

It is most likely that the name of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon will be sent to the General Assembly as he emerged victorious in all the informal straw polls held by the powerful 15-member Security Council.

After the polls, five candidates still officially remain in the race to replace Kofi Annan as secretary general when he steps down at the end of his term on December 31.

Mr Oshima said he agreed there was 'room for further improvement' in the selection process, although he said that efforts had been made to make the current process more transparent than those of the past.

He noted that candidates had attended the meetings of regional groups and other organisations, inside and outside UN headquarters in New York, and taken the opportunity to meet with members of those groups.

Turning to other key items of the Council's work, the Japanese envoy said they are the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, the ongoing problems in the West Asia and the nuclear issue with North Korea.

He also said consultations would be held about the scheduling of a new date for presidential elections in the Ivory Coast, which has been beset by renewed tensions in recent months. The polls had been set for the end of October.

Mr Oshima added that the Council will hold a thematic debate on the role of women in consolidating peace and security.

UNI

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