Thailand, ASEAN Still Backing Surakiart

Former Thai Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai speaks with a group of reporters upon his arrival at Bangkok international airport Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006. Surakiart returned home Thursday after accompanying ousted from Tuesday's military coup Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for the meetings abroad. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong) (Apichart Weerawong - AP)

UNITED NATIONS -- Southeast Asia will not drop its support of Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai as the next U.N. secretary-general despite the military coup in his country, officials said Friday.

"We reaffirmed our support," Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said as he emerged from a breakfast meeting of foreign ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Surakiart was the first candidate to enter the race to become the eighth secretary-general in the United Nations' 60-year history as Kofi Annan retires at the end of the year at the conclusion of his second five-year term. The Thai minister won backing from ASEAN at last year's General Assembly ministerial meeting.

There are now seven candidates, with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon viewed as the front-runner after finishing first in a straw poll by the 15-nation Security Council last week. The council is expected to hold another informal poll next Thursday.

China has suggested that Tuesday's bloodless coup, which ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as he was in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly meeting, hurt Surakiart's candidacy. He finished third in the straw poll.