October 9, 2006. Copyright 2006, Graphic News. All rights reserved

South KoreaÕs Ban Ki-moon confirmed as new UN Secretary-General
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, October 9, Graphic News:  Whether the election of South KoreaÕs foreign minister Ban Ki-moon as the next Secretary-General of the United Nations is reason for dismay or hope appears to depend on whether you believe the UN most needs an inspirational leader with the charisma and the vision to push through reforms, or an efficient harmoniser who is unlikely to rock the boat.

Most agree that Ban, voted for unanimously by the 15-member Security Council, falls into the second category. The Asian is set to take over at the end of the year, when Kofi Annan bows out to mixed reviews: under Annan the UN has failed to prevent wars and genocide, and is now probably at the most critical juncture in its history.

After announcing his candidacy in February, Ban topped all four straw polls of the five permanent Security Council members. He has been praised for the consensual style and negotiating skills he has shown in dealings with North Korea over its nuclear weapons programme, but condemned for his alleged weak character and lack of charisma. Some say his nickname Ban-chusa, or Òadministrative clerkÓ, refers to his supposed willingness to bend to the will of his superiors.

Whether or not that is true, an undoubted factor in BanÕs selection was his acceptability to the United States which is known to prefer a low-profile Secretary-General who is unlikely to resist U.S. intervention, and is still sulking over AnnanÕs stance on Iraq. The
soft-spoken Ban also won the enthusiastic backing of Russia and, crucially, China.

Born in the rural town of Chungju on June 13, 1944, Ban graduated in International Relations at Seoul University and steadily climbed the diplomatic ladder, serving as the director of his countryÕs UN mission and later as ambassador in Vienna. In 1999 he served as chairman of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation.

At home he became national security adviser to the president in 1996 and vice-minister in 2000. Since January 2004 he has been Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In that capacity, he played a key role in the September 2005 six-nation talks aimed at adopting a Joint Statement on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue, but has come under fire for his apparent willingness to turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in the North. 

Despite his clear front-runner status, BanÕs candidacy was not without controversy. He was accused of flexing his countryÕs economic muscle to secure votes, reportedly pledging millions of dollars in aid to developing countries with seats on the Security Council to secure for his country the status symbol of the worldÕs top diplomatic job.

He has promised to make the United Nations Òmore effective, more efficient and more relevantÓ but has not said exactly how he plans to achieve this. The repercussions of North KoreaÕs provocative underground nuclear weapons test have forced Ban to start work behind the scenes immediately. His in-tray is loaded. Not only must he try to reverse the shift in the strategic balance of power in the Pacific region, he must strive to convince Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks or else face a significant raising of the stakes in the standoff with Iran over its nuclear programme.

As if these challenges were not enough, the eighth secretary general will also be preoccupied with the escalating crisis in Darfur while trying to find a political solution to prevent descent into civil war in Iraq.

ÒI may look soft on the outside but I have an inner strength,Ó Ban has said. HeÕll need that and then some if he is to stand up to the United States -- on whose protection from the North South Korea depends -- and other big powers whose self-interested agendas have so often stalled UN progress in the past.

Ban is married and has three children.
/ENDS