Tharoor 'disappointed' with loss
India's candidate for the post of UN secretary general, Shashi Tharoor, says he is "disappointed" after coming second again in informal polling.
A career diplomat, Mr Tharoor pulled out of the race after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon won the latest straw poll.
Mr Tharoor got 10 votes, one more than needed to stay in the race. But one of the three negative votes was from a permanent Security Council member.
A formal vote to choose the secretary general is due on 9 November.
Soon after the results were announced, Mr Tharoor, who is also the UN undersecretary general for public information, issued a statement: "It is a great honour and a huge responsibility to be secretary-general and I wish Mr Ban every success in that task."
Concedes victory
Mr Tharoor said he had "entered the race because of my devotion to the United Nations, and for the same reason I will strongly support him as the next secretary general. The UN, and the world, has a stake in his success."
Although he has conceded victory, Mr Tharoor is "disappointed" by the result.
In an interview to the BBC Hindi service, he said, "I have spent 28 years working for the UN. All the other candidates have worked for their governments. I was the only candidate who has devoted my entire professional life to the UN and worked for the international community."
Although it was not yet clear which permanent member used the negative vote against him, Mr Tharoor said he did not believe the veto was against him or India.
"This country wants Mr Ban to win and must have voted against all the other candidates too," he said.
Options open
Mr Tharoor thanked the Indian government for supporting his candidacy.
Asked if he would be joining the government in some form, he laughed and said: "No option is excluded for me. But I'm not a civil servant, nor a politician."
In reply to a question as to whether the Indian government would be nominating him to the Rajya Sabha - the Upper House of Parliament - Mr Tharoor said, "The government has done enough for me. I don't want to ask them for anything more."
Mr Tharoor 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 in an earlier interview 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."
Some commentators say Mr Tharoor's experience with the UN may have gone against him.
Some say a senior insider may not be the person to deliver the radical reforms that they believe the organisation needs.
Mr Tharoor, an Indian national, has written several novels, including a political satire, The Great Indian Novel, that focuses on India's struggle for independence.
Overall there were six candidates in the race to replace the incumbent UN secretary general Kofi Annan who ends his second and final term in December.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5402010.stm
India's candidate for the post of UN secretary general, Shashi Tharoor, says he is "disappointed" after coming second again in informal polling.
A career diplomat, Mr Tharoor pulled out of the race after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon won the latest straw poll.
Mr Tharoor got 10 votes, one more than needed to stay in the race. But one of the three negative votes was from a permanent Security Council member.
A formal vote to choose the secretary general is due on 9 November.
Soon after the results were announced, Mr Tharoor, who is also the UN undersecretary general for public information, issued a statement: "It is a great honour and a huge responsibility to be secretary-general and I wish Mr Ban every success in that task."
Concedes victory
Mr Tharoor said he had "entered the race because of my devotion to the United Nations, and for the same reason I will strongly support him as the next secretary general. The UN, and the world, has a stake in his success."
Although he has conceded victory, Mr Tharoor is "disappointed" by the result.
In an interview to the BBC Hindi service, he said, "I have spent 28 years working for the UN. All the other candidates have worked for their governments. I was the only candidate who has devoted my entire professional life to the UN and worked for the international community."
Although it was not yet clear which permanent member used the negative vote against him, Mr Tharoor said he did not believe the veto was against him or India.
"This country wants Mr Ban to win and must have voted against all the other candidates too," he said.
Options open
Mr Tharoor thanked the Indian government for supporting his candidacy.
Asked if he would be joining the government in some form, he laughed and said: "No option is excluded for me. But I'm not a civil servant, nor a politician."
In reply to a question as to whether the Indian government would be nominating him to the Rajya Sabha - the Upper House of Parliament - Mr Tharoor said, "The government has done enough for me. I don't want to ask them for anything more."
Mr Tharoor 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 in an earlier interview 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."
Some commentators say Mr Tharoor's experience with the UN may have gone against him.
Some say a senior insider may not be the person to deliver the radical reforms that they believe the organisation needs.
Mr Tharoor, an Indian national, has written several novels, including a political satire, The Great Indian Novel, that focuses on India's struggle for independence.
Overall there were six candidates in the race to replace the incumbent UN secretary general Kofi Annan who ends his second and final term in December.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/5402010.stm
there is a need of making new UN with new rules. this is the time when rest of world, other than P-5s, would make a new UN where there is no threat of veto (or N bombs) in UN.
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