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Friday, Oct. 13, 2006

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UNITED NATIONS -- The General Assembly adopted a resolution by acclamation Friday appointing South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon to succeed Kofi Annan as U.N. secretary-general.

Ban, 62, will become the eighth U.N. secretary-general on Jan. 1, when Annan's second five-year term expires.

He was one of seven candidates vying to be the U.N. chief and topped all four informal polls in the U.N. Security Council.

Hundreds of diplomats and U.N. staff in the chamber broke into loud applause when assembly president Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa asked the 192-nation world body to adopt the resolution by acclamation. She then banged the gavel and said, "It is so decided."

Ban will oversee an organization with 92,000 peacekeepers around the world and a $5 billion annual budget. The U.N.'s reputation has been tarnished by corruption scandals and its outdated practices need reform to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The veteran South Korean diplomat has told reporters that he is prepared to travel to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, if needed to solve the nuclear standoff with the U.N. Security Council.

As the Council nears a vote on sanctions on the reclusive regime, North Korea has warned the imposition of such punishment would be "an act of war." North Korea has refused to elaborate or give any details on how it may react to the Council action.

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Annan hailed Ban as "a future secretary-general who is exceptionally attuned to the sensitivities of countries and constituencies in every continent" and said he would be "a man with a truly global mind at the helm of the world's only universal organization."

Annan, who has served for a decade as U.N. chief, has yet to announce his plans once he leaves the United Nations. He has unofficially told reporters he would like to retire to his native Ghana and become a "simple farmer."

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