MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Korea eyeing UN Secretary General post

The South Korean government formally requested Chile's support for the candidacy of Foreign Affairs minister Ban Ki-Moon to the post of Secretary General of United Nations, reported diplomatic sources in Santiago.

Chile "took note" of the request and promised to study it "with special interest", said an official release on Thursday from the Chilean Foreign Affairs ministry.

At the end of the year a successor of Secretary General Kofi Annan must be named and according to diplomatic tradition the post should now be occupied by an Asian country representative.

Besides Ban Ki-Moon from South Korea other names include Shashi Tharoor from India, Sri Lanka's Jayantha Dhanapala and Thailand's Deputy Foreign Affairs minister Surakiart Sathirtai, although several other countries have shown an interest in promoting a "consensus candidate".

South Korea's request was delivered during the III bilateral high level Political Consultation Meeting which took place this week in Santiago.

According to the release the delegations underlined the "excellent level of bilateral relations" and the significant advance the Chile-South Korea free trade treaty has meant for economic links. The treaty became effective April 2004.