Trump administration opposes all UN chief candidates

The Trump administration opposes all seven candidates now running to succeed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and wants new contenders to enter the race, Politico reported Friday. The report cited two people familiar with internal discussions. The position matters because the United States, as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, can veto any candidate. It comes less than three months before Guterres' term ends on Dec. 31.politico+1

"The entire slate is lacking the reformers the U.S. would want. And some seem like even more business-as-usual types," an administration official told Politico. A State Department official said, "We are looking for a little bit of a disruptor". The department did not comment on specific candidates. It said in a statement that the United States "will only support a nominee who shows an unwavering commitment to drive meaningful reform".politico

Possible alternatives

The State Department official said FIFA President Gianni Infantino could be a good option. Trump suggested Infantino earlier this year but never formally nominated him. The official also did not rule out Nickolay Mladenov, the Bulgarian diplomat who heads Trump's Board of Peace. The official said Argentina's Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, "has done a great job," but that some countries, including Russia, have concerns about him.politico

A Republican congressional aide said GOP lawmakers oppose Rebeca Grynspan, the front-runner from Costa Rica, calling her too critical of Israel and soft on China. "If we get someone like Grynspan, good luck getting any Republican to support funding the U.N. regular budget," the aide said.politico

A divided Security Council

The Security Council held its fifth straw poll on Oct. 7. According to leaked results reported by PassBlue, Grynspan kept her lead with nine "encourage" votes, down from 10, while her "discourage" votes doubled to six. Grossi moved into second place with six encourage and seven discourage votes. Every candidate other than Grynspan received more discourage votes than encourage votes.passblue+1

The sixth poll is expected Oct. 16. That round is expected to use colored ballots, which would show whether any of the five permanent members oppose a candidate. "If all the candidates get a permanent member veto, I would expect other candidates to come forward," said Brett Schaefer of the American Enterprise Institute.gwlvoices+1

A deadline in doubt

U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said: "We have full confidence that member states will decide in time on a new secretary-general by 31 December". Former U.S. ambassador John Bolton called the blanket opposition "surprising." He suggested that leaving the post unfilled might suit Washington: "If you were cynical, heaven forbid, you'd say, well, that suits the U.S. fine. Don't fill the job".politico