Nugroho chairs UN body

Nugroho chairs UN body

UNITED NATIONS (Reuter): Indonesian UN representative Nugroho
Wisnumurti took over yesterday as president of the Security
Council for November, when elections are expected to get under
way to choose a secretary-general.

A UN chief is appointed by the 185-nation General Assembly on
the recommendation of the 15-nation Security Council whose five
permanent members -- the United States, Russia, Britain, China
and France all have a veto.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, whose five-year term
expires at the end of December, is running for a second term. But
the United States has said it will use its veto if necessary to
block his re-election on grounds that the organization needs new
leadership to introduce reforms.

The council presidency rotates monthly according to the
alphabetical order of the member delegations. Indonesia's
ambassador Wisnumurti follows Honduras's ambassador Gerardo
Martinez Blanco in the post.

Indonesia's two-year term in the council ends on Dec. 31.