2006年VOA标准英语-South Korean Seen as Front-Runner in UN Secreta

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
14 September 2006

A preliminary poll of U.N. Security Council members has reaffirmed South Korea's foreign minister as the leading candidate to become the world body's next secretary-general. Council diplomats² expect to complete the selection process by early next month.

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This second straw poll on secretary-general candidates featured the names of five Asian men, one more than was on the ballot³ for the first vote in July.

Under the rules of the poll, each Security Council member casts a ballot indicating either encouragement or discouragement for each announced candidate. The voting was done in secret, but within minutes, the result was made public.

China's U.N. Ambassador Wang Guangya confirmed the outcome.

"I think the Koreans are leading, the second is the Indian, and the third is the Thai. The fourth is Jordanian, and the fifth one is Sri Lankan," he said.

 
Ban Ki-moon (file photo)
  
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon received 14 votes of encouragement, reaffirming his position as front-runner for the secretary-general's post. He received one 'discourage' vote, but it was not known whether that negative ballot came from a veto-wielding permanent Council member.

Finishing second was Indian author and U.N. Undersecretary-General for Public Information Shashi Tharoor, followed by Thailand's deputy prime minister, Surakiart Sathirathai.

Finishing fourth was Jordan's U.N. ambassador, Prince Zeid Raad al-Hussein, followed by Sri Lankan diplomat¹ and former U.N. disarmament official Jayantha Dhanapala.

 
Prince Zeid Al-Hussein (file photo) 
  
The biggest surprise was the poor showing of the Jordanian candidate. Prince Zeid had been widely seen as a serious contender when he entered the race last month. He is the only Muslim in the race. But his candidacy had raised questions about whether Jordan should be considered part of Asia for purposes of the selection process.

According to the tradition of geographic⁴ rotation⁵, this is Asia's turn to head the world body. No Asian has led the organization since 1971, when Burma's Oo Thant stepped down after 10 years in office.

This second straw poll is considered significant, as it is the final vote before the annual General Assembly debate. The choice of a new secretary-general is expected to be a hot topic in bilateral⁶ discussions on the sidelines of the debate.
 

John Bolton  
  
Washington's U.N. ambassador, John Bolton, has said he would like to complete the selection process by late September or early October. China's Ambassador Wang says he would be happy with that timetable.

"I think the end of this month, or early next month," he said. "I think the Security Council members decided⁷ to speed up this process."

Under rules of the selection process, candidates can enter the race at any time, and diplomats say more candidates are likely to emerge before the final choice is made. There have been some suggestions that a woman candidate might be put forward, and Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested this week he would like to see a woman in the job.
 

Kofi Annan  
  
"As to my successors, I have often said, 'My predecessors⁸ did it their way. I did it my way, and I hope he or she will do it his or her way,' he said. "I know I got into trouble in Turkey when I said, 'When she takes over.' And they asked me, 'Why are you talking about a she?' I said, "Because a 'she' has never had it."

Secretary-General Annan is due to step down at the end of December, when he completes 10 years in office. He has made clear that he would not stay on after December 31.

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

4 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

6 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》