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Kadir Vs. McKinnon: Battle hots up for top Commonwealth job
By Neville de Silva in London
Sri Lanka officially threw its hat into the ring when President Chandrika Kumaratunga wrote to 52 Commonwealth heads of government on Thursday that it would field a candidate for the post of the Secretary General of the organisation.

The candidature of former foreign minister and presidential adviser Lakshman Kadirgamar comes in the wake of increasing dissatisfaction -- and even anger-at the abrasive approach of the current secretary-general Don McKinnon, a former New Zealand foreign minister and the uncertainties he has caused in the more than 50-year-old organisation.

Though Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in London, Faiz Mustapha, had been approached many months ago by several Commonwealth member-states, especially Africa nations disenchanted with Mr. McKinnon's handling of the organisation's affairs, Colombo had been reluctant to nominate a candidate.

Although New Zealand-based media are trying to portray Mr. Kadirgamar as a South Africa -- promoted candidate in order to weaken his support, informed diplomatic sources have said that he had widespread support from across the Commonwealth.
This would be the first time -- certainly in recent years -- that a secretary-general is being contested at the end of his first term.

Usually the secretary-general, like its name-sake at the United Nations, is allowed two consecutive terms, perhaps the only argument in favour of Mr. McKinnon.
Only Boutros Boutros Ghali of Egypt faced a challenge after his first term as UN Secretary-General because of US threats to use its veto against him.

With McKinnon now being challenged by a candidate from Asia which has never held the secretary-general's post, the election is due next Friday when the Commonwealth Heads of State and Government meet for their summit in Nigeria.

Mr. Kadirgamar needs at least 27 votes from the member states to oust Mr. McKinnon. With Pakistan and Zimbabwe suspended from the Commonwealth, the organisation now has 52 members.

While South Pacific members are expected to fall in behind the New Zealander, current indications are that most states in Africa, Asia and many in the Caribbean are eager to support Sri Lanka which is one of the oldest members of the Commonwealth.

Africa with 19 members has the lion share of votes while the Caribbean has 12 and Asia eight. It will fall to Nigeria's President Obasanjo who will preside at the summit, to conduct the closed-door election before which heavy lobbying is expected from New Zealand and its supporters in the Pacific to keep Mr. McKinnon in place as the last minute entry of the Sri Lankan candidate has suddenly upset their hopes of an assured second term.

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