DEMARCHE ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT UN

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 001100 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2015 TAGS: PREL UN KS JO SUBJECT: DEMARCHE ON THE APPOINTMENT OF THE NEXT UN SECRETARY-GENERAL SIPDIS REF: STATE 22833 Classified By: Ambassador David Hale for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Poloff delivered reftel demarche to Jamal Al-Shamayleh, deputy chief of the Foreign Ministry's International Organizations Department, during a February 13 meeting at the Foreign Ministry. Shamayleh agreed that the post of Secretary General should not be bound by a rotational system, and said that Jordan had not yet considered any of the potential candidates. The meeting was briefly interrupted by South Korean Political Counselor Yang Jaegook, who presented Shamayleh with a letter requesting Jordan's support for South Korean Secretary General candidate Ban Ki Moon, south Korea's acting Foreign Minister. After Jaegook's departure, Shamayleh shared the letter with Poloff. The letter, signed by Ban Ki Moon and addressed to Foreign Minister Al-Khatib, stated that the position of Secretary General had not been held by an Asian diplomat since U Thant (1961-71) and that it was now Asia's turn. ¶2. (C) Knowledge of the Secretary General candidacy of Jordan's UN permanent representative, Prince Zeid bin Raad, has apparently not filtered down to the Foreign Ministry's International Organizations Department. HALE