Deva's UN candidacy stirs confusion

UNITED STATES: The candidacy of British member of the European Parliament Niranjan Deva-Aditya for the UN top has run into confusion with his sponsor Fiji distancing itself from the nomination.

Fiji's Foreign Minister Kaliopate Tavola wrote a letter promoting Deva's candidacy in July which the country's deputy UN Ambassador Filimone Kau, said was not an official notification.

Neither Deva's native Sri Lanka nor Britain has backed him to replace Secretary General Kofi Annan, whose term expires on December, 31. Deva has set up a Website to promote his candidacy.

The letter dated July 18,from Tavola asked the Security Council to add Deva's name "to your list of candidates" but said the council should "firstly undertake its deliberation to reduce the field of candidates".

Kau said the Foreign Minister's letter "could be just a letter of support but we don't see it as an official note from the Government nominating him as a candidate for the position of Secretary-General". Deva-Aditya (58),who also goes by the name of Nirj Deva, serves as a British Conservative Party member and ambassador at large from Sri Lanka.

The Security Council has held one straw poll on candidates.

A second informal poll will be held on September 14 and perhaps another one on September 28, said Greece's U.N. ambassador, Adamantios Vassilakis, who holds this month's rotating council presidency.

Vassilakis said he had just received the packet of letters directly from Deva, which he said violated procedures. "I don't know what to do with him," Vassilakis said, adding he was attempting to clarify the issue.

"The confusion is that the paper has not been submitted to the council by the Fiji U.N. mission, which is the proper procedure," he said.

There should be a letter from the Foreign Minister and then the mission should send another letter to the President of the Council submitting the letter of the foreign minister.

We did not have that." The Security Council selects a Secretary-General, whose candidacy has to be approved by the UN General Assembly.

- Reuters