CNN/AP: South Korean finance minister named next U.N. leader

[DeepModem Mom]

South Korean finance minister named next U.N. leader
October 13, 2006


U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says his successor, Ban Ki-moon, left, "is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities" of the world's nations.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The General Assembly adopted a resolution by acclamation Friday appointing South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary-general.

Ban, 62, will become the eighth U.N. secretary-general on January 1, when Annan's second five-year term expires.

He was one of seven candidates vying to be the U.N. chief and topped all four informal polls in the U.N. Security Council.

Hundreds of diplomats and U.N. staff members in the chamber broke into loud applause when assembly president Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa asked the 192-nation world body to adopt the resolution by acclamation. She then banged the gavel and said, "It is so decided."

Ban will oversee an organization with 92,000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5 billion annual budget. The United Nation's reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals, and its outdated practices need reform to meet the challenges of the 21st century....

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/10/13/un.secretary.general.ap/index.html