Asia Reaches Out to Moscow

April 10, 2006
Kommersant
Original Source: http://www.kommersant.com/page.asp?idr=527&id=665007

South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon arrives in Moscow for a working visit today, April 10, 2006. Jordan's Foreign Minister Abdelelah al-Khatib is expected tomorrow. In Moscow, both ministers will attempt to lobby their candidates to succeed Kofi Annan in the office of the U.N. secretary-general. The inspiration of Asian countries roots in Moscow’s resolve to prevent a candidate of Eastern Europe from taking over the post. 

Apart from the officially promised discussion of nuclear problems of North Korea, there is one more rather delicate issue on the agenda. The authority of http://www.un.org/ \t _blank U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan expires December 31, 2006, and Kofi Annan’s successor will be in the center of attention during the meeting of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his South Korean counterpart Ban Ki-moon.

Russia that is one of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council came to the fore. Ban Ki-moon is the South Korean candidate to the post and he needs Moscow backup. Russia has nothing personal against Ban Ki-moon, but thinks the Asian group should agree on the single candidate first. 

Moscow’s interest in Asian candidate is easy to explain. None of the Eastern European nominees will do for Russia. One of the candidates, for instance, is Alexander Kwasniewski, former president of Poland, who is known for his active involvement in the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. Latvia’s President Vaira Vike-Freiberga would be even worse for Moscow. 
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