India names man for senior UN job

By Jyotsna Singh
BBC News, Delhi

Mr Tharoor needs the support of the five permanent members of the UN

India has decided to nominate a career UN diplomat, Shashi Tharoor, for the post of UN secretary-general.

The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi says that Indian missions abroad have begun seeking support from member nations to back Mr Tharoor's candidacy.

Mr Tharoor is currently the under secretary-general for communications and public information in the UN.

He has worked in the world body for nearly three decades since completing his PhD at Tufts University in the US.

"I have worked in the UN for 28 years... So I think I would bring a lot of experience and commitment to the task," Mr Tharoor told the BBC when asked why he wanted the job.

"I believe passionately in the UN and see it as a force that can make a real difference in the world."

UN reform

Mr Tharoor, an Indian national, has written several novels, including a political satire, The Great Indian Novel.

The race for the UN secretary-general's post has begun in earnest since the incumbent, Kofi Annan, ends his second and final term in December.

Commentators say that Asia is due to have a UN secretary-general as both Mr Annan and his predecessor, Boutros Boutros Ghali, were from Africa.

There are three other Asian candidates are in the running - Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai and the South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.

However observers in India say Mr Tharoor's long association with the UN works to his advantage.

But more crucial for him would be the backing of the five members of the Security Council: the US, Britain, Russia, France, and China.

Even if he manages the support of the general assembly, a single veto by any permanent member would damage his chances.

The BBC's Crispin Thorold at the UN says Mr Tharoor's experience may count against him.

He says in recent weeks there has been a sense that the US and some others want an outsider to come into an organisation that many believe needs radical reform.