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Nepal’s bid for top UN post hits rough weather
KATHMANDU, JUL 22 -
Nepal’s dream of securing a top post in the United Nations has been hit by controversies and a lot of work needs to be done if Kul Chandra Gautam, Nepal’s nominee, is to secure the coveted position.
The caretaker government, without proper homework, announced Gautam’s nomination for the President of the 66th United General Assembly and there is a serious lack of homework such as “a ceremonious propaganda” both at home and abroad to publicise the candidacy, an informed source said.
Gautam, a former UN Assistant Secretary General, faces yet another problem. Neither Nepal’s permanent mission in the UN believes that he could create a wave in his favour at the UN headquarters and the international establishment nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is convinced that he is the right pick for the job, an official said.
“In fact, Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, as former foreign and finance minister with considerable in-country track record, would have been a better choice,” the official added.
Nepal’s bid for the GA presidency is not necessarily ill-timed, but the question is whether we are well prepared to mount a serious campaign, the senior MoFA official said.
“Given the fact that Gautam has a seemingly weak national profile and a huge gap between his last UN position, we are not exactly in a great position to buttress his credentials,” a senior government official said.
UN watchers say Nepal’s high point at the UN was during the tenure of Rishikesh Shah, who was Nepal’s permanent representative to the New York mission in the 50s. “He had outstanding academic, diplomatic and political credentials,” said a UN official based in New York. “He had excellent oratorial skills too. He was by far Nepal’s brightest prospect in the international arena. It is unfortunate that he didn’t pursue a UN career.”
Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa, former finance and foreign minister and ambassador to India and the U.S. is another Nepali with excellent credentials for the job, he added, “though Shah and Dr. Thapa come from different backgrounds.”
The president of the 65th GA session (2010) is former Swiss president Joseph Deiss.
Dr. Ali Abdussalam Treki, the incumbent, has served as Secretary (Minister) of African Union Affairs, who played a significant role in the formation of the African Union. He has been directly involved in mediating several conflicts in Africa, notably in Sudan, Chad, Ethiopia/Eritrea and Djibouti/Eritrea, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus and the Philippines.
Gautam’s competitor for the UN post is Nassir bin Abdulaziz al Nasser from Qatar, who has served as Permanent Representative to the UN for 16 years. Other than his New York profile, Nasser is also backed by strong diplomacy fueled by the Gulf diplomacy and Qatar’s petro dollars. It also proactively pushed its candidacy, announcing it as far back as four months ago. “It has even asked Nepal to vote for it,” said government officials. “We are, however, still twiddling with our candidacy.”
After having backed Dr. Mahat for two months, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal suddenly made a U-turn and opted for Gautam, which, among others, has left MoFA officials and Dr. Mahat himself in a state of confusion.
To begin with, Dr. Mahat announced his reservations about the prime minister’s request to select him for the GA job for two reasons. One, his political career evidently on an upswing, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to stay away from home for a year. Two, he also insisted with the prime minister that his candidature needed to be supported unanimously by all political parties.
“He obviously didn’t want to be a controversial candidate and he did explain this to the prime minister. He is now a little perturbed as to why the prime minister first of all made a request to get into the GA race if he was going to make a U-turn. This really is a mystery,” said a former Nepali diplomat.
According to rough calculations, more than Rs 100 million will have to be spent if Nepal intends to mount a serious GA campaign and officials aren’t sure whether it would be the right investment given the county’s poor financial health.
To help bolster his thin credentials, the government is seriously considering appointing Gautam either as advisor to the prime minister or the ambassador at large or a special envoy for an interim stint, said an official. “It is important to ensure that our candidacy has a sound political profile and height too,” the official said.
The president of the GA is a position voted for by representatives in the UNGA on a yearly basis by its member states. The presidency rotates annually between five geographical groups.
Posted on: 2010-07-23 08:24
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