New Delhi: There is dollar-play at work in the race for the highest post of world's apex body, the UN. Or that is what London daily The Times has claimed.
According to an investigation by the British newspaper, South Korea has pushed its candidate Ban Ki Moon, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through inducements ranging from millions of pounds of extra funding for several African countries to lucrative trade agreements in Europe and even the gift of a grand piano to Peru.
Positive votes for India's Shahi Tharoor -- a candidate in the race for the post of next UN Secretary-General -- slid to eight on Thursday leaving him in the second position.
The South Korean minister continues to be the frontrunner in the race for a successive third week. Ban Ki Moon announced his bid in February and has since been trying to win support.
According to The Times, a month after announcing his candidature, South Korea announced that it would treble its aid budget to Africa to $100 million by 2008. Seoul then contributed tens of thousands of pounds to sponsor this year’s African Union summit in the Gambia in July when Ban Ki Moon declared 2006 to be “the Year of Africa” for South Korea.
Ban Ki Moon also pledged $18 million for an educational programme in Tanzania, a country which has a seat in the UNSC. He said South Korea would help develop a road and bridge project in Tanzania.
The magnanimity seems to be working, for on Thursday, Tanzania announced it's support for South Korea's candidate. Ban Ki Moon also headed a senior delegationt to Greece this year, another Security Council member. The two countries signed agreements on trade, tourism and maritime, The Times report said.
On its part, South Korea has denied using foreign aid as a means of buying votes in the Security Council. “I would like to stress that the allegations against Mr Ban Ki Moon and, moreover, the integrity of the Korean Government do not correspond with the facts,” In Joon Chung, a spokesman for the South Korean embassy in London, said on Thursday.
He said Seoul had decided in 2002 to increase aid to the developing world. He also said the state visit to Greece was planned a year ago because Athens had been an ally of Seoul in the Korean War.
Though Ban Ki Moon remains the clear front runner, his prospects slipped back in a new secret ballot by the UNSC, where he received only 13 votes of the 15 council members. One member abstained, while another voted against him.
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