S Korean minister enters UN race

Ban Ki-moon has been involved in the six-nation nuclear talks

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon has declared his candidacy for the top job at the UN, officials say.

Current UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan steps down at the end of the year.

Mr Ban joins a number of other Asian contenders, including Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Jayantha Dhanapala from Sri Lanka.

There is widespread support for an Asian to take over the leadership, in line with a UN tradition of rotating the job on a geographic basis.

The last Asian to hold the post was U Thant of Burma, from 1961 to 1971.

Mr Ban has previously served as South Korea's ambassador to the UN, and has been the country's foreign minister since January 2004, playing a key part in six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

He "has the ability and dedication to make invaluable contributions to further the ideals and values of the United Nations," Vice-Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told a news conference on Tuesday.

Front-runners

Several other contenders have already declared their bids for the post.

Kofi Annan is stepping down in December

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai has the backing of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), a grouping of 10 regional countries.

Sri Lankan peace negotiator Jayantha Dhanapala is another strong candidate, as former undersecretary-general for disarmament and a key figure in peace talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

East Timor Senior Minister for Foreign Affairs Jose Ramos-Horta, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga are also in the running.

Analysts say there is much support for an Asian leader among UN member states, in line with an informal tradition that rotates the role on a geographical basis.

But Washington's UN ambassador John Bolton said last month that Kofi Annan's successor should be selected on merit alone.