Millions of dollars and a piano may put Korean in UN's top job

[spindrifter]

The Times September 29, 2006
By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor and James Bone

SOUTH KOREA has pledged millions of dollars in aid and offered other incentives to members of the United Nations Security Council to secure its candidate as the next UN secretary-general.

An investigation by The Times has disclosed that the South Koreans have been waging an aggressive campaign on behalf of Ban Ki Moon, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the front-runner to replace Kofi Annan as UN chief at the end of the year. The inducements range from tens of millions of pounds of extra funding for African countries to lucrative trade agreements in Europe — and even the gift of a grand piano to Peru.

<snip>

The other candidates are: Surakiart Sathirathai, the ousted Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand; Shashi Tharoor, a senior Indian UN diplomat; Prince Zeid Raad Zeid alHussein, the Jordanian Ambassador to the UN; Jayantha Dhanapala, a former Sri Lankan official and UN diplomat; Ashraf Ghani, the former Afghan Finance Minister; and President Vike-Freiberga of Latvia. Last night, none of them received the nine positive votes necessary to be elected.

<more>

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2380336,00.html

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Shashi Tharoor, one of the other candidates, has written quite a bit--not just non-fiction, but also fiction. I recall reading his novel Riot some time ago. I'm not sure who choses his cover art work, but the German translation may have sold rather well. http://www.shashitharoor.com/books.html

[Captain Hilts]

1. I want Bubba in that job! nt

[blm]

2. Sun Myung Moon has been angling to control the UN for years now.

I wouldn't doubt that the money is coming from him. People WILL get paid off as much as it takes. His silent money likely matches Bill Gates if not surpasses.

[KamaAina]

3. Eurghh. This is getting to be like the Olympic bribery scandals.

Mitt Romney, white courtesy phone...

Say, you don't suppose the coup in Thailand might have been engineered to remove one of his opposing candidates, do you? :tinfoilhat: That takes on new meaning if you allow that that other Moon (the cult leader) may be involved, as suggested above... :scared: