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India mulls nomination for United Nations post

By Iftikhar Gilani

NEW DELHI: The UN Secretary General Kofi Anan’s communication seeking Indian nomination for the deputy secretary general has put the government here on the horns of dilemma.The External Affairs Ministry wants the government to wait and bid for the top post when Annan vacates office in December instead of sending nominations for the number 2 post.

On political side, a tussle has begun in the ruling Congress party as to who should get the post, irrespective of whether it is the top or the position next to it. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is vying for Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the Planning Commission deputy chairman, but he is not able to rush the name because Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath office is pitching for Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary and India’s current ambassador to Moscow. Kanwal’s brother and union minister Kapil Sibal is lobbying for him.

Lost in the tussle may be Shashi Tharoor, who has been with the United Nations for 27 years and could be even a credible UN insider to become not only the deputy secretary general but even succeed Annan. He is currently the UN’s under secretary general for communications and public information.

The deputy secretary general’s post, created only in 1998 to strengthen the world body’s secretariat, fell vacant three weeks ago following an unexpected resignation of Louise Frechette, a former deputy minister for defence. While it requires to be filled up urgently, the successor to Annan is to be elected on September 24 when the UN Assembly meets.

The External Affairs Ministry sources said India would have to forego Annan’s invite to recommend a name for the post of the deputy secretary general if it wants to pitch for the top post as one country cannot stake claim on both the slots. A report from Washington suggests that India’s prospects of succeeding in getting Annan’s post have brightened since after Japan virtually wrote an obituary to the present efforts of the Group of Four (G4) to get permanent membership of the Security Council.

Two Indian names were doing the rounds in the corridors of the UN last week as the world body’s new deputy secretary-general: former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh and Kanwal Sibal, the report said. Sources here, however, say no name has been proposed as yet by India.

The China baiters in India suspect the way Beijing is pushing for the appointment of a distinguished Indian to the UN’s number 2 slot is recognition of “India’s emerging regional importance and growing international standing.” Maybe, China’s strategy is that an Indian in that position would mean nobody from Asia can be nominated to the top slot as well when Kofi Annan retires on December 31.

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