Council To Consider Ban's Re-appointment
MEMBERS of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, including Nigeria, are expected to commence private meetings this month for the possible re-election of the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, just as President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to address the Council next Tuesday in New York.
A newsletter, the Security Council Report Monthly Forecast, circulated at the UN headquarters stated in its latest edition that a major feature of the Council this month "could be a private meeting to consider a recommendation from the Security Council regarding the reappointment of the Secretary-General."
In 2001, when the former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's first term ended, he was recommended for reappointment on June 27 of that year, six months ahead of the expiration of his first term in office.
When asked about the matter by the media at the UN headquarters in New York, President of the Council for this month, Ambassador Nelson Messone, the Permanent Representative of Gabon simply said with a smile: "I am sure you will be informed" when the reappointment of the Secretary-General comes up."
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's term will expire on December 31, 2011. He is, however, eligible for a second term of another five years, starting January 1, 2012, which many diplomats at the UN consider a done deal.
According to Security Council Report Monthly Forecast in the newsletter, "no alternative candidate has emerged and it appears likely that the Security Council will recommend that he (Ban) be reappointed to a second term."
Nigeria is among the nine non-permanent members of the Council. The country would relinquish its membership of the Council at the end of the year. The two other non-permanent members from Africa currently are South Africa and Gabon. The latter assumed the presidency of the Council on Wednesday.
While Nigeria has not yet publicly indicated its support for Ban's re-election, it is believed that the country would support the former South Korea's Foreign Minister who was in Nigeria recently and met with President Goodluck Jonathan.
During Ban's visit to Abuja, he also spoke highly of Nigeria and the nation's Permanent Representative at the UN, Prof. Joy Ogwu.
Under the UN charter, Article 97, the Security Council recommends a candidate for the Secretary-General's position and the General Assembly appoints with a 2/3 majority.
The General Assembly's decision is normally a formality once the recommended candidate gets 9 of the 15 members of the Council to support his/her nomination, without a veto from any of the five permanent members of the council-ie, US, UK, Russia, China and France.
Both the Security Council and General Assembly are required to consider the reappointment at "private meetings and by secret ballot."
President Jonathan is among heads of States expected at the UN next week as the world body holds a high level meeting on HIV/AIDS.
Apart from participating at the summit, which holds next week Wednesday, President Jonathan will also speak earlier on Tuesday at a Security Council debate, according to the President of the Security Council for June, Ambassador Nelson Messone, the Permanent Representative of Gabon.
Confirming this on Thursday at the UN, Messone said the Council debate would be on "Maintenance of International Peace and Security: The Impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
The Nigerian president would be joined by his Gabonese counterpart, Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba, who would preside over the meeting and several other world leaders.
The Gabonese Ambassador at the UN added that the planned Council debate on the impact of HIV and AIDS on global security on June 7, comes on the eve of the General Assembly's high-level meeting on the epidemic.
Source: Jonathan To Address UN Security Council (http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=50169:-jonathan-to-address-un-security-council-&catid=1:national&Itemid=559)