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Security Council backs U.N. head for second term

From Richard Roth, CNN
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to be easily approved for a second term.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to be easily approved for a second term.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was nominated Friday for a second term
  • The nomination goes to the General Assembly for final approval Tuesday
  • If approved, it will mean another five-year term for the South Korean diplomat
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United Nations (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was officially chosen Friday for a second term by the U.N. Security Council in a unanimous and widely expected nomination.

The measure will now head to the General Assembly for final approval Tuesday.

If approved, it will mean another five-year term for the South Korean diplomat, who was not challenged for the top job.

The announcement was made by the current president of the Security Council, Noel Nelson Messone, the ambassador from Gabon.

"It is an immense privilege to serve this great Organization as Secretary-General," Ban said in a written statement. "I am grateful for the confidence and support."

His backers claim that he was out in front on issues like the recent unrest in the Middle East and climate change.

Ban's detractors say he is not a great communicator or negotiator and travels too much outside New York.

The former South Korean foreign minister was elected by the 192-member U.N. General Assembly in October 2006 to succeed Kofi Annan.

He is the world body's eighth secretary-general and the first from Asia since U Thant, from what is now Myanmar, who served from 1961 to 1971.

"These four and a half years have been marked by extraordinary challenge for the United Nations and the international community," Ban said this month. "We can be proud of what we've accomplished together."

Saying he has sought to be a bridge-builder who seeks to find common ground, Ban has had few public adversaries over his term and is expected to be easily approved.