I stand a better chance for UN top post

MEP. Member NirJ Deva
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Member of the European Parliament
Niranjan Deva Aditya, a dual
citizen of Sri Lanka and United Kingdom plans to run for the post of
United Nation's Secretary General. In an interview with the Sunday
Observer staffer Jayantha Sri Nissanka,
Deva Aditya said that since Sri Lankan candidate Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala
did not come top in the first poll, he decided to enter the fray to get
nominated through an Asian country.
Q: You are planning to contest the United Nations (UN) top post. What
are your credentials to be the next UN Secretary General?
A: It is difficult to predict at this juncture. But I have a close
working relationship with 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
since I am the Spokesman and Development Committee Coordinator. Also I
have the support of 25 European Union member countries. I am fairly
well-known in Asia and less known in Latin America. In the General
Assembly, I will have good support from countries I have helped. For
example, I have assisted Caribbean countries with their restriction on
Bananas, sugar protocol, reconstruction after the typhoon and tourism
industry. In the Pacific, I have done the same with sugar and so on. I
have done a lot of work in Africa on reconstruction, prevention of AIDS,
tuberculosis, women's rights and so on. I hope that countries know my
work and will support me.
Q: But already a veteran diplomat Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala has been
nominated as Sri Lanka's candidate. How can the Sri Lankan Government
nominate you as the second candidate?
A: No, no, I am not going to stand as a Sri Lankan candidate. But any
member state can nominate persons who are nationals or non-nationals.
That is the rule. Rules say that a country can nominate a candidate or
candidates.
Q: Chapter 15 or Article 97 in the UN Charter clearly states how to
elect the Secretary General. When Kofi Annan contested, Ghana did not
back him. Are you following the same pattern?
A: Yes, Kofi Annan was elected on that basis. Ghana backed him just
24 hours before he was named as the Secretary General. He was backed by
veto powers. This is the key thing. 186 member states of UN can support
you but if one veto power votes against, then you lose the chance to
become the Secretary General.
Q: Can you muster the support of veto powers?
A: Two of the veto powers are European and I legislate for those
countries. I am known to the United States administration and I have
worked with them for 30 years at joint conferences. The Chinese are
getting to know me. They trust me because they want to strengthen the EU-
China relations. Russians are friends. But who knows finally what will
happen. It does not depend only on me because it's a comparison between
me and others in the fray. Rumours are spreading that a few more
international figures will enter the fray at the last minute. Q: Do you
expect the Government to nominate you as the second candidate?
A: I am not asking the Government to put me as a candidate, because
you already have an excellent experienced candidate, who is very
capable. I as a Sri Lankan citizen wanted to inform my friend, President
Mahinda Rajapaksa that I intend to run for the UN Secretary General's
post. Since Dhanapala did not come on top, I thought now it is the time
to tell the President that I intend to contest if he is not objecting.
He said 'you are my friend and personally I have no objection'. But as
the Government, he said that he cannot help because it's a long process
to go through the Cabinet, then Parliament and voting on the
candidature. Dr. Dhanapala had been nominated after going through this
process. He respected the fact that I have been polite to inform him
before submitting my nominations.
Q: What country will submit your application?
A: I am not in a position to divulge it now. But one of the countries
who are backing me is an Asian country.
Q: Is there a guarantee that you can get elected?
A: Nobody can predict what will happen at the election. People are
polite but ultimately you don't know whether they will support you or
not. In the first round who expected Mr. Ban Kimoon to poll 12 votes,
Mr. Tharoor to come in the second with ten votes. Thai candidate
Surakiart Sathirathai got only seven votes and Mr. Dhanapala got only
five votes. People say `yes' to our face but they go and do the reverse.
I thought Dhanapala had a very good chance. That is why I held myself
back. I did not want to interfere, confuse or upset his victory.
Q: It is not mentioned in the UN Charter that the Secretary General
should be elected in rotation from different regions. But as a tradition
this term is for Asia. You are a British citizen. Are you a dual citizen
to contest this election?
A: Yes, I am a dual citizen of Sri Lanka and United Kingdom. I am
contesting as an Asian.
Q: What do you think of the candidates who are in the fray?
A: It is very important that the new Secretary General should be an
outsider from the UN system. That is what America wants and they have
reiterated this more than 100 times. The US said they want an outsider
from the UN system with good managerial experience who respects
democracy. So they are looking for someone who is a good manager,
reformer, who does not have friendships and relationships with the
existing UN structure. They want someone who has political and
democratic experience.
Q: When are you going to submit your nomination papers?
A: I have to take advice from my sponsors. A central Asian country is
helping me with the Chinese and Russians. I should wait and go along. I
looked at e-mails I received carefully and talked to myself because this
is a very difficult decision. If you perform badly in the first round,
then you can't proceed further. Once you are down, you are down.
Q: What is the last date to submit nominations?
A: According to the rules at any stage in the process. May be at the
last minute of the process.
Q: Will more powerful candidates enter the fray at the last minute?
A: Yes, I think and I know so. I don't think that any of the
candidates who are now in the fray will remain, except a few. I suspect
some Prime Ministers' will contest at the last minute. That is why I am
waiting and watching. I don't want to rush into the election. So it's a
matter of time. Frankly, it is very foolish to rush into the contest.
Timing is important.
Q: If you become the Secretary General what are the reforms you are
planning to introduce to activate a highly politicised inefficient UN
administration?
A: I have done a lot of study on this. More details are on my website
www.nirjdeva.com.
Q: What is your policy on the ballistic missile programme of the USA?
A: First, the US anti-ballistic missile programme is not relevant to
the UN. But talking as an European politician, I have no problem with
defensive missile programmes where you shield your territory from
outside missile attacks. I think protective mechanisms are very
important today especially nuclear missile may fall into wrong hands
like terrorists and Governments which are not democratically elected. So
if you don't have a defensive missile system, then you are in trouble.
Q: The UN kept mum on actions of the certain veto members. If you are
a Secretary General, how will you stop such actions?
A: Well, the UN is extremely hampered by its own Charter. The Charter
has aspirations in the preamble, but Chapter Seven talks about other
things. The UN is bankrupt at the moment. It needs to be fixed. The UN
is also very ineffective sometime. I see the UN more as a peace keeper
and a peace builder. I support the Peace building commission very much.
Humanitarian assistance, development, conflict resolution, peace
building, peace keeping, nation building, institution building and
democracy are the keyroles I see in the UN. But I don't see the UN as a
major force in military terms. I also feel that UN peace keepers should
be trained to international standard. I hope Sri Lanka will be able to
do a substantial peace keeping role once its problem is settled. The Sri
Lankan Army can play a prominent role internationally in peace keeping
and peace building. I expect the UN to be more reactive. If something
happens, the UN is clueless.
After five months the UN is doing something else. You take the
Lebanese issue. Resolution 1559 clearly says that the Government of
Lebanon should control its own territories and its Army should be in
charge of its territorial borders. That did not happen but after four
years, Hizbollah took charge in South Lebanon. It led to the crisis.
Those are the things I think the UN should vigorously implement.
Q: Veto powers do not care about UN decisions. If you are selected as
the Secretary General, how will you handle the actions of veto powers?
A: The UN only has influence and it does not have powers. The Charter
gives a prominent place for veto powers. That is because Joseph Stalin
opposed the creation of the UN at that time. That veto can drive the UN
backward or forward. However, the Secretary General has to work very
closely with the veto powers. At the same time the interests of Asia,
Latin America should be reflected while working with five veto powers.
Q: The UN speaks of maintaining democracy. The UN system does not
have democracy due to the veto powers of five powerful nations. What is
your view on this?
A: Yes, there is a big fuss in the UN about lack of democracy. There
are five members with veto in the Security Council along with ten
non-permanent members. If one country vetoes a candidate, then he loses
the chance to be the Secretary General.
Boutros Boutros Ghali was such a victim. He got 14 votes out of total
15 votes when he contested for the second term. But USA vetoed him. So
there is no democracy in the UN. USA, China, France, UK and Russia are
the veto powers. The question is, who is going to veto whom.
Not that who is going to vote for whom. So you need a minimum of
eight votes along with the support of all five veto powers.
Q: Half of the UN funds are spent on administration as there are
endless Committees and Commissions. So how will you rationalise the UN
expenses?
A: Don't worry. If am elected as the Secretary General nothing of
that kind will happen because I am a businessman. I am a Director of a
public company and Director of a British company and also I am a member
of the European Parliament. I know how to cut costs. I'm good at
trimming.
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