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| Sunday, 4 July 2004 |
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Indian diplomat considered for UN envoy to Iraq UNITED NATIONS, July 3 (Reuters) The former Indian foreign secretary, Salman Haider, was the front-runner to head the new U.N. mission in Iraq, diplomats said on Friday. No decision has yet been made although one was expected shortly, associate spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. Annan was to have chosen a special representative by Friday but the announcement was delayed because of his travels. Diplomats also said some candidates had refused because of the precarious safety situation in Iraq. As a frequent commentator on international affairs, Haider was critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Haider, a Cambridge-educated Muslim, was India's foreign secretary from 1995 to 1997, a post equivalent to a deputy foreign minister. He served briefly as India's high commissioner, or ambassador, to Britain in 1998 before retiring from the diplomatic service. The diplomats gave credence to Haider's candidacy after he was interviewed by Annan in Qatar last week and came to U.N. headquarters in New York this week. "He is a leading candidate," said Romanian Ambassador Ioan Motoc, this month's council president. Other candidates mentioned were Surin Pitsuwan, Thailand's foreign minister from 1997 to 2001, also a Muslim, and Ashram Jhansi Ai, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States. The post has been empty since Aug. 19, when a bomb blast at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad killed special representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other people. Annan pulled out all international staff in October after a series of attacks on foreign relief organizations. |
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