UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is expected to be elected by acclamation as next Secretary-General of the United Nations at a General Assembly on its Friday session to formally appoint the successor to Kofi Annan.

    The Secretary-General designate will not take the oath of office immediately, but at a later date in December. This arrangement would allow him to finish some of his current duty as his country's foreign minister. His five-year term as the new UN Secretary-General will start on Jan. 1 2007.

    On the procedure of the appointment, General Assembly spokesperson Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte said Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain will first invite Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, Security Council President for October, to report on the Council's recommendation.

    The Assembly will then take action either by acclamation, as is usually the practice, or by vote, if some member state asks for it, but she said such a scenario is "unlikely."

    That will be followed by statements by Sheikha Haya, Annan, the regional group chairpersons, the representative of host country the United States and the Secretary-General designate himself. Enditem

General Assembly tentatively fixes date for appointment of new UN chief

    UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations General Assembly has tentatively scheduled Friday for the official appointment of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as the world body's next Secretary-General, an Assembly spokesperson said Wednesday.

    Assembly President Sheikha Haya Al Khalifa of Bahrain consulted with the chairpersons of the 192-member body's regional groups on the date for Ban's appointment, and the regional chairpersons were expected to report back to Sheikha Haya later Wednesday, said Assembly spokesperson Gail Bindley-Taylor Sainte.

S Korea's Ban nominated for UN chief

    UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Monday issued an official communique at a closed meeting, formally recommending Ban Ki-Moon of South Korea as the new U.N. Secretary-General to succeed Kofi Annan.

    The Security Council has considered the question of the recommendation for the appointment of the Secretary-General of the Untied Nations, and recommends to the General Assembly that Mr. Ban Ki-Moon be appointed Secretary-General of the United Nations for a term of office from Jan. 1 2007 to Dec. 31 2011, the communique said.

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