Senior officials note that a promise not to veto Tharoor's name by the Big Five, does not necessarily mean an endorsement.
A DNA Analysis
NEW DELHI: India sounded the US, Britain, Russia, China and France, the five permanent members of the Security Council, before formally announcing Shashi Tharoor as the country's candidate to replace UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
India's diplomatic missions abroad are now in full gear, pushing for Tharoor. When he was in India in May, Tharoor not only met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other establishment figures, but significantly also called on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
However, senior officials are quick to point out that a promise not to veto Tharoor's name by the Big Five, does not necessarily mean an endorsement. It is only after the UN Security Council approves a candidate that the name is sent to the General Assembly for a vote. If any member of the Security Council uses its veto against a candidate, he is out of the race. The Security Council generally recommends just one name for endorsement to the General Assembly.
The US had for some time also been hinting at a candidate from one of the former east European countries. Poland was a front runner. But having said that, New Delhi would not have thrown its hat in the ring without some sort of assurance from Washington. Nobody in government, however, says there is a definite assurance from the United States.
Just a month ago, officials privately said India would not file a candidate because of an unwritten convention at the UN, that permanent members should not contest the Secretary General's post. Delhi's about turn, i.e fielding a candidate, is inexplicable. Does this now mean that India has given up hopes of early expansion of the Security Council ? "There is no connection between the two," said foreign office spokesman Navtej Sarna.
Expectedly on Thursday India made the formal announcement saying it is now Asia's turn to have a Secretary General. Africa has already been represented by Egypt's Boutros Boutros Ghali and Ghana's Kofi Annan who completes two terms as the world body's top diplomat.
Sarna said the African group has already confirmed its support for an Asian candidate. He hoped other regional groups would also come out in support of the policy of rotation.
Tharoor, named in 1998 by the World Economic Forum in Davos as the global leader of tomorrow, is well versed in the inner workings of the UN. He held a number of important positions including heading the UN's peace keeping operations and worked in the UNHCR.
Tharoor is an Annan loyalist and the one blot in his career so far was his inability to foresee the scandal which erupted when Annan's son was named as one of the beneficiaries of the UN directed oil for food scandal in Iraq. Annan is not a hot favourite of the Bush administration and the US ambassador to the UN John Bolton has been extremely critical of Annan in the past.
That incident brought a bad name to the UN system as a whole and gave an opportunity to American critics to take pot shots at Annan. The Secretary General later distanced himself from his son's activities.
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