Secretary General Kwaśniewski?

WBJ

Kwaśniewski among top three candidates for UN secretary general post

Aleksander Kwaśniewski is one of the three most serious candidates for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations. Until recently it seemed almost certain that Kofi Annan's successor would come from the Asian region, as this is what the rotation of the post envisages. However, Asia failed to promote a strong candidate. Among those who are most likely to take the post are the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Surakiart Sathirathai, and former Deputy of the Secretary General, Jayantha Dhanapala. But both these candidates fall short when it comes to the Polish President's international experience. The final decision requires the unanimity of the five permanent members of the Security Council. Over the past months the US and UK both gave unofficial signals to Polish diplomats confirming their readiness to support Kwaśniewski's candidacy and France, although more hesitant, claims it would support "an EU candidate." Still unknown is the standing of China and Russia.