South Korea minister retains lead in UN leader race

UNITED NATIONS - South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon has retained his lead in an informal Security Council poll for UN secretary-general but received one less vote than on the previous ballot, diplomats said.

But Ban was comfortably ahead of Shashi Tharoor, the Indian UN undersecretary-general for public information, who was in second place.

The 15 Security Council ambassadors conducted an unofficial vote on the seven candidates vying for the job to replace UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who leaves office on December 31.

The vote was unofficial but gives an indication of the final results.

- REUTERS