Secretary General-elect of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon takes the oath of office in the General Assembly Hall, Thursday, Dec. 14, 2006, at the United Nations headquarters. Ban will not officially start his new job until Jan. 1, when he will become the eighth secretary-general of the 192-nation world body. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)



New UN Secretary of General Ban Ki Moon Begins His First Day

Former South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon, began his first day as successor of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Thursday. He is the eighth UN Secretary General. At his inauguration in the UN General Assembly Conference Room, he vowed to devote himself to restoring the UN during his term. In reciting the oath, new Secretary General swore, “not to seek or accept instructions in regard to the performance of my duties from any government or other authority external to the organization.”

During his address, Ban praised his predecessor's achievements, saying, “His tenure was marked by high ideals, noble aspirations and bold initiatives.” At a press conference, he said, “You could say that I am a man on a mission. And my mission could be dubbed 'Operation Restore Trust,' trust in the organization and trust between member-states and the secretariat.”

After Ban announced his official run for the position last February, he visited the African continent eight times as foreign minister of South Korea in his ballot-gathering strategy for the position. In the end, he won first place in the first ballot conducted in July 24.

In the fourth crucial straw poll administered yesterday at the UN, Ban won first place in the race to be the next United Nations Secretary General. Ban received backing from 14 of the 15 members on the UN Security Council. Out of six candidates, only Ban received 14 votes without objection in the straw poll.

Ban Ki Moon was selected by the 15-member U.N. Security Council in October and was then approved by the General Assembly as the second Asian head of the organization.
/ 입력시간: 2006. 12.16. 09:46