WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama has set his sights on becoming the next Secretary General of the United Nations when he leaves the White House in one year, the US media reported on Sunday.

Mr Obama has already discussed the issue with Republican, Democ­ratic and Jewish officials in the United States, the media claimed.

The report, first published in an Arabic language Kuwaiti magazine Al Jarida on Friday, was noticed by the US media only when Israeli officials confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not only aware of Mr Obama’s plan but was also working with moderate Arab states to prevent the US president from achieving his goal.

The Israeli prime minister “is planning payback for President Obama’s dismissing Mr Netanyahu’s objections to the Iran nuclear deal last year,” The Washington Times newspaper reported, quoting several major Israeli media outlets, such as The Jerusalem Post.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Kuwaiti magazine also spoke to Israeli officials who confirmed that Mr Netanyahu was opposing Mr Obama’s bid for the top UN job.

Apparently, Mr Obama wants to replace present Secretary General, South Korea’s Ban Ki-moon, who is serving his second and final five-year term in the position.

The term ends on Dec 31, 2016, 21 days before Mr Obama’s second term as the US president ends.

The article also claimed that upon hearing of President Obama’s plans, Mr Netanyahu “vowed to counter his campaign”. They quoted Netanyahu as saying, “Eight years of Obama’s judgments and marginalising Israel was not enough? Now he wants to be in a position to cause us trouble in the international forum?”

An aide to Mr Netanyahu told the media that the Israeli prime minister was opposing Mr Obama’s bid also because he holds him responsible for moving the US “closer to the Muslim Brotherhood, toppling the regime of Hosni Mubarak, and for attempts to ally (the US) with political Islam”.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2016