BANGKOK, Sept 28: Former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan emerged on Thursday as a possible last-minute candidate to replace Kofi Annan as United Nations secretary-general.

Citing ‘informed sources’, a Thailand’s national newspaper said Surin, a Muslim with wide international respect, had received backing from the United States, who felt he was a ‘strong candidate’.

“He is an Asian, a moderate Muslim and a former foreign minister who is well-known and respected in the international community,” the paper quoted an unidentified source as saying.

Surin, Thailand’s top diplomat for four years in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, did not deny the report.

“I can only say that one feels honoured for having his name being mentioned in such a positive light,” he told Reuters. “At this moment, I am not a candidate but the international community has been aware of my keen interest in an international position.”

Asked if he had been approached by Washington as a possible candidate, he said: “Not personally, not directly.”—Reuters