US launches discussion on next UN secretary-general

The US ambassador has opened Security Council discussions in New York on the next UN secretary-general, calling the choice of a replacement for Kofi Annan probably the most important decision the world body will make this year.

US Ambassador John Bolton, the council’s president this month, called a meeting of the five veto-wielding permanent members “to get a sense of where the council is, so that we can begin to move forward on the issue”.