ISLAMABAD, July 7: Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Ashraf Jehangir Qazi is the front-runner for the top slot of the UN mission in Iraq which is to be launched shortly, Dawn learnt through diplomatic sources on Wednesday.

Two other candidates in the run for the job are from India and Thailand. Mr Ashraf Qazi's name has been short-listed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan who has been trying to get President Pervez Musharraf's approval for the proposal, sources said. The UN chief will be speaking to President Gen Musharraf in Finland over telephone, it is learnt.

The decision on the matter is likely to be taken this week, the sources said, adding that former Indian foreign secretary Salman Haider's name had also been considered for the post.

If the president approves the nomination, Mr Annan will formally invite Mr Ashraf Qazi to head the mission, a move said to have tacit US support. Ambassador Qazi, who was also in the US previously, has had close interaction with top US and UN officials in Washington and New York.

A seasoned career diplomat, he is widely respected in the diplomatic circles here and abroad. If appointed, Ambassador Qazi will have to be relieved from his assignment in Washington ahead of the expiry of his contract in August.

"Notwithstanding warnings of the security threat that he may face there Ambassador Ashraf Qazi is keen to take on the challenging job of heading the UN mission," informed sources said.

The UN, according to the diplomatic sources, is not planning to station its mission in Iraq for the time being due to security concerns. Instead, it plans to launch a two-unit mission: one in Jordan and the other in Kuwait.

In diplomatic circles the nomination of Mr Ashraf Qazi is seen as 'a great tactical move' that may ultimately pave the way for a Muslim force for protection of the UN mission instead of the proposed multinational force.