South Korea''s Ban Ki-Moon sworn as eighth UN Secretary General
15 Dec 2006
Mumbai: Former South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-Moon was sworn in as the 8th Secretary General of the UN General Assembly. Ban, 62 will assume office on January 1 when Kofi Annan steps down after 10 years, reports CNBC-TV 18.
He
will be the first Asian to lead the organisation in 35
years.
In his first press conference after being sworn in as
the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon proved an astute
diplomat, offering no opinions on issues ranging from
Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and North Korea to Darfur.
His only strong words were on the recent Holocaust denial
conference in Iran, which he termed ''not acceptable''.
As for India''s interests, he stressed that he will focus
on expansion of the Security Council.
This issue is by far the most important and sensitive.
Considering the dramatic changes in international politics,
expansion and reform in the Security Council is an important
issue.
Ban''s immediate priority is to appoint a new Deputy Secretary
General, preferably a woman. He will also look at overhauling
the team of Undersecretary Generals, which includes Shashi
Tharoor - Ban''s main rival in the recent race for Secretary
General, and currently Undersecretary General for Public
Information. Tharoor''s contract at the UN ends next February.
Staffing and developing trust appear highest on Mr Ban''s
immediate
agenda. Issues like Security Council reform will probably
follow once he formally takes over in January.
