Portugal's Guterres backed as new UN chief

Antonio Guterres

The UN Security Council on Thursday unanimously backed Antonio Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal who was the UN's refugee chief for a decade, to be the next secretary-general.

During a closed-door meeting, the 15 council members adopted a resolution formally presenting Guterres as their choice to be the world's diplomat-in-chief to the General Assembly, diplomats at the session told AFP.

Guterres said he wants to be "an honest broker, a bridge-builder and someone who tries to create conditions for consensus".

In an interview with various news media during his campaign for the position, he said that if he got the job his aim would be to work with all countries to help solve myriad problems on the global agenda.

The result disappointed campaigners for a woman or someone from Eastern Europe to be the world's top diplomat for the first time.

Guterres will almost certainly select a woman as deputy secretary-general and he said in the interview that one of the things that is "crucial" at the male-dominated United Nations is "to have gender parity".

He said his 10 years as the UN high commissioner for refugees－a post he left in December－provided "excellent preparation" for a secretary-general who needs to be an honest broker and be seen by countries as independent in order to promote consensus and overcome crises.

"I think we are living in a world where we see a multiplication of new conflicts, and you see an enormous difficulty in solving the conflicts," Guterres said. "There is a clear lack of capacity in the international community to prevent and to solve conflicts."

What's needed, he said, is a new "diplomacy for peace" which requires discreet diplomatic contacts and shuttling among key players in conflicts and disputes. The secretary-general should also engage as much as possible and "act with humility to try to create the conditions for member states that are the crucial actors in any process to be able to come together and overcome their differences", he said.

Guterres said the simple answer to why he wants to be secretary-general can be found in the parable of the talents in the Bible's New Testament, which he said was the central element of his life.

"I think that one in life receives a lot of gifts, one has the responsibility to pay back, and to multiply the gifts that were received," he said.

Guterres said he received a good education and dreamed of being a researcher in physics. He became an assistant professor of physics. He said he thought the place where he could contribute the most was the United Nations, which led to his decision to seek the post of secretary-general.

"If I get it," Guterres said earlier, "I will do my best to be useful and to pay back the talents that I received."