Latvian president promotes herself as candidate to be next UN chief

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Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga used her address to the General Assembly here Tuesday to sell her bid to succeed Kofi Annan as UN secretary general.

"While women represent half of the world's population, no woman has ever been at the helm of this organization," said the 68-year woman who last week formally submitted her candidacy for the UN job. "I believe that the time has come for a woman to be considered a serious candidate for the position of secretary general."

Vike-Freiberga is the first woman and the sixth candidate to enter the race to succeed Annan, who steps down at the end of December after 10 years in office.

Fluent in English, French, German and her native Latvian, Vike-Freiberga is running against South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, UN Undersecretary General for Public Affairs Shashi Tharoor of India, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, Jordanian Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein and Sri Lankan diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala.

If elected, she would become the first woman secretary general in the world body's 61-year history.

But with most UN member states agreeing that it is now Asia's turn to assume the world body's top job in line with an unwritten rule of regional rotation, Vike-Freiberga's chances of winning appeared slim.

Asia has not had a UN chief since Myanmar's U Thant finished his second term in 1971.

But the Latvian president took exception with the principle of regional rotation, saying it "should not be the principal and sole factor in the selection of a candidate."

"It so happens that, as a result of historical events in the 20th century, the secretary general of the UN has never come from Eastern Europe," the leader of the former Soviet Republic said. "Yet this region has a wealth of experience to share about its ability to effect radical changes and achieve progress in a remarkable brief period of time."

Vike-Freiberga is however unlikely to win support from two veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, China, who argues that Annan's replacement should be Asian, and Russia, which has accused Riga of violating the rights of minority Russians living in the Baltic state.

"I hope that the choice made by the Security Council and the General Assembly (expected before the end of the year) will be based solely on the candidates' qualifications, personal qualities and visions," she said.

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AFP 192258 GMT 09 06