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.