South Korea's Ban Ki Moon Is Nominated for Top U.N. Position
UNITED NATIONS -- South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon was officially nominated as the next U.N. secretary-general hours after North Korea announced it had tested a nuclear weapon.
"This should be a moment of joy. But instead, I stand here with a very heavy heart," Mr. Ban told reporters in Seoul, South Korea. Mr. Ban pledged to work to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Mr. Ban, 62 years old, was nominated by the U.N. Security Council to succeed Kofi Annan, whose second five-year term ends at the end of the year. He faces likely confirmation by the U.N. General Assembly.
Japan's U.N. ambassador, Kenzo Oshima, asked the 192-nation world body to act promptly to give final approval to Mr. Ban so he can have a sufficient transition before taking over as U.N. chief on Jan. 1.
"I think the fact that the candidate is currently foreign minister of the Republic of Korea is an asset in dealing with the situation in the Korean peninsula that we are now facing," he said.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton called Mr. Ban's selection "a very significant event," saying the United States looks forward to quick approval by the General Assembly.
"I can't think of a better way to show the difference in the progress of those two countries -- great progress in the South and great tragedy in the North," Mr. Bolton said.
In Seoul, Mr. Ban told reporters that if the General Assembly appoints him, he would "contribute as much as I can to the resolution of all kinds of problems including the North Korean nuclear issue that may threaten international peace and security."
North Korea hasn't mentioned Mr. Ban's bid to become U.N. secretary-general. It previously has accused him of blindly following the U.S. line by urging the North to resume negotiations and give up the atomic-weapons program.
Mr. Ban has been South Korea's foreign minister for more than two years and served as national security adviser to two presidents -- jobs that focused on relations with the North. He has served as a diplomat for nearly 40 years, including previous stints at the U.N. and in Washington.
Mr. Ban would be the eighth secretary-general in the United Nations' 60-year history, overseeing an organization with some 92,000 peacekeepers around the world and a $2 billion annual operating budget. Fighting hunger, assisting refugees and slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS are all programs that fall under the secretary-general's purview.
安理会提名潘基文为下届联合国秘书长
联合国安理会(U.N. Security Council)周一正式提名韩国外交部长潘基文(Ban Ki Moon)出任下届联合国秘书长。潘基文则表示将努力解决朝鲜核危机。
根据联合国宪章，拥有15个成员国的联合国安理会将向联合国大会提交这一推荐，并由联大作出最终裁决。
潘基文相关报导
? 韩国潘基文有望出任联合国秘书长
日本驻联合国代表大岛贤三(Kenzo Oshima)在安理会非公开会议结束后向记者宣布：“联合国安理会正式向联大推荐潘基文担任下任联合国秘书长”，在明年1月1日接替五年任期届满的科菲?安南(Kofi Annan)。
现年62岁的潘基文将面临众多挑战，从整修联合国38层高的纽约总部大楼到派遣维和部队进驻苏丹达尔富尔地区。联合国已成为解决全球众多紧迫危机事件的地方，包括调停黎巴嫩的冲突以及遏制朝鲜和伊朗推行其核计划。
潘基文在首尔对获得提名表示了感谢。他说，将在朝鲜出乎意料地进行核试验后继续致力于解决朝鲜核危机。潘基文称，假如他被任命为联合国秘书长，他将“贡献所能贡献的一切来解决各种各样的问题，包括可能威胁国际和平与安全的朝核问题”。
预计对潘基文的提名将获得联大批准。在联合国安理会今年7至9月举行的三轮意向性投票中，潘基文一路领先。10月2日，在第四轮意向性投票中没有哪个安理会常任理事国对潘基文投否决票，这使他的领先位置得到了巩固。
在2006年2月，潘基文宣布将竞选联合国秘书长。这是韩国人首次竞逐这一职位。潘基文自2004年1月起即担任韩国外交通商部长官。
