UNITED NATIONS - Ban Ki-moon, sworn in on Thursday as the eighth UN secretary-general, may strike colleagues as a shy and retiring bureaucrat but vows to be a ”man of action” when he takes the world body’s helm on Jan. 1.Journalists covering the 62-year-old former South Korean Foreign Minister in Seoul called him “Slippery Eel,” he acknowledges, for his skill in making a graceful exit when they tried to put him on the spot over a thorny issue.
“Rest assured, however, that my actions will be anything but slippery: I am a man of action,” he told a recent dinner of UN correspondents. “In Korea, we have an expression: Un Haeng Il Chi. It means words should be matched by deeds. This will be my guiding motto,” he said.
| The unofficial motto of Chicago is "Qua mei?" I think it translates well to the U.N. |
In remarks to the General Assembly at his swearing-in, Ban made clear that while he would carry on some of Annan’s unfinished work, he wanted to draw a line with the past. Ban said he wanted to “breathe new life and inject renewed confidence into the sometimes weary secretariat” and “to set the highest ethical standard,” he said.
There's always a first time at the U.N.
Ban vowed to be “a harmonizer and a bridge builder” as UN leader while also promising the United Nations would be ”dynamic and courageous” rather than “passive and fearful.”
Now he's just delusional.
Diplomats said that while he was not a great communicator, he had great determination and was very hardworking. But Ban said that though he is soft-spoken, “that does not mean that I lack leadership or commitment.” Modesty and humility were considered virtues by Asians but should not be misunderstood because “I take decisive decisions whenever it is necessary,” he said in an interview.
Ban said North Korea would remain his top priority after taking office at the United Nations, adding: “I will be using my mandate as UN secretary-general to the maximum to make sure that this issue is resolved thoroughly.” Other priorities would include more UN management reform, fostering development in poor nations and helping resolve the world’s many conflicts.
Ambitious fellow, isn't he?