Tuerk Does Not Resent UN Secretary General
Danilo Tuerk, assistant UN secretary general for political affairs, says he does not bear grudges against UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who passed him over for promotion. "I know that the secretary general takes decisions in a complex situation and his decisions are not his alone."
Do you, after the resignation from your post when Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari was made under-secretary-general for political affairs, understand the political background of the decision?
Of course although I believe I am a better candidate than Gambari. Many forces are at work, and such a job is as ungrateful as any senior political post. I have to say we (he and Annan) had a nice and friendly talk about our cooperation, and we will continue to talk. I am returning to teaching at the Ljubljana Faculty of Law after 12 years in New York.
Annan's decision to promote Gambari was met with disapproval by many diplomats from the Eastern European group, which has ambitions to nominate the next secretary general when Annan's term expires in 2006. After you stepped down, the group does not have a single senior diplomat at the UN secretariat.
I agree with the reasoning of Eastern European diplomats that I have a better chance to be nominated as an outsider, considering the climate of change and reform at the UN. But my resignation has nothing to do with the possible bid for the top post, although I leave all the options open.
Are you pleased with your work at the UN?
As Slovenia's ambassador at the UN between 1992 and 2000, when I was appointed assistant for political affairs, I am overall pleased with my work at the UN. The work of the Slovenian delegation was successful, as evident from my appointment to the senior post at the secretariat.
Where has been the UN the most successful in reforming?
In the peacekeeping segment where the system of peacekeeping operations improved. The UN currently has 18 operations with 80,000 troops, and these missions are larger as well as better organised.
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