UN chief Ban Ki-moon is in Burma on a mission to press the ruling junta to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners.
Ban Ki-moon of South Korea takes over as United Nations Secretary General on Monday, facing numerous crises across the globe as well as the challenging task of reforming the United Nations itself. The 62-year-old diplomat’s handling of the reform, launched in 2005 by his predecessor Kofi Annan, will be closely watched by UN members, notably the most powerful, the United States, which strongly backed his candidacy.
Two pending United Nations decisions could shake up peace talks being held in Nigeria on the conflict in the strife-torn Sudanese region of Darfur. The United States has proposed UN sanctions against four Sudanese government officials while the UN wants to take over the African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur.