Portugal’s Guterres lands UN top post

UNITED NATIONS. — The United Nations Security Council yesterday unanimously nominated former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres to be the next Secretary-General, recommending that the 193-member General Assembly appoint him for five years from January 1, 2017.The General Assembly is likely to meet next week to approve the appointment of Guterres (67), who would replace Ban Ki-moon (72), of South Korea. Mr Ban will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two terms.

Speaking during a visit to Rome, Mr Ban described Guterres as a “super choice” as his successor.

“I am sure he will carry the torch on the full range of key challenges, from strengthening peace operations to achieving sustainable development, upholding human rights and easing humanitarian suffering,” Ban told reporters.

Guterres was prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and served as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015. He was due to speak to reporters in Lisbon later yesterday.

“He has great United Nations credentials . . . and being High Commissioner for Refugees means travelling the world and seeing some of the most gruesome conflicts we have to deal with and then of course he is a high-level politician,” said Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, president of the council for October.

“He is a person who talks to everybody, listens to everybody, speaks his mind, a very outgoing, open person so I think it was a great choice and I’m glad that we rallied around Mr Guterres,” Churkin told reporters.

The council met behind closed doors yesterday to adopt a two-paragraph resolution recommending to the General Assembly that Guterres be appointed.

“Antonio Guterres has shown . . . that he is the strongest candidate, he has a vision and a moral authority and integrity that put him at the top of the league table,” British UN Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters.

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre said Guterres was “the right leader able to bring the nations and the community of nations together.” — Reuters.