LONDON (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton backed British Prime Minister Tony Blair as a future secretary general of the United Nations.
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Clinton told BBC television Blair would make a "good" head for the international organisation when he leaves office, as he has indicated he will before the next general election, expected by 2010 at the latest.
The pair -- who became friends during Clinton's time at the White House between 1993 and 2001 -- had discussed Blair's future and Clinton had told him there was "a lot of good you can do in the world" after leaving Downing Street.
He also predicted Blair, 52, would find "immense rewards" when he stood down, particularly from lucrative speaking engagements, books and directorships.
Asked if Blair should run for UN secretary general, Clinton, 59, said: "That would suit me. He would be a good one."
The current secretary general Kofi Annan's term in office ends on December 31 this year.
Blair, who has not indicated when he will make way for his expected successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, said last week he was likely to go nearer the next general election than sooner.
Westminster observers have pencilled in 2008 as the earliest date Blair will hand Brown the keys to Downing Street and he is thought to be keen to secure another leading role on the world stage.
Clinton, who set up the Clinton Foundation to campaign on issues such as the fight against HIV/Aids and promoting racial, ethnic and religious harmony, said Blair may wish to tread a similar path.
"What I would say to him and what I have said to him -- I saw him actually last month -- is that, when he does go, he's still got a lot he can do, a lot of good you can do in the world and that's the most important thing," he told the BBC's flagship political programme "Newsnight".
"I think there are lots of things you can do. You can... take a position, or you can do what I do -- just create your own operation and try to find some public good you can do as a private citizen.
"This has been an immensely rewarding phase of my life and I think he will find immense rewards when his service is done."
Ultimately, however, the choice was for Blair, he added.
In the interview, Clinton also called for a "delicate" approach to Iran in the ongoing row over the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.
He said there was "probably no choice" but to seek sanctions against Iran via the UN Security Council but doubted his successor George W. Bush would embark on military action, praising him for his "restraint" on the matter.
On Iraq, Clinton said he expected a "not insubstantial" withdrawal of US troops from Iraq during 2007 but special forces were likely to remain in the Gulf for longer.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...13/wl_uk_afp/britainusunpolitics_060113234322
I am not to sure about this. If he became a Secretary General his role would be compromised for his 'back-role' to the Americans. But it would be interesting none the less.
Wish I was the United Nations Secretary General.
I would get all the babes, and a ton of dough. :lol:
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Clinton told BBC television Blair would make a "good" head for the international organisation when he leaves office, as he has indicated he will before the next general election, expected by 2010 at the latest.
The pair -- who became friends during Clinton's time at the White House between 1993 and 2001 -- had discussed Blair's future and Clinton had told him there was "a lot of good you can do in the world" after leaving Downing Street.
He also predicted Blair, 52, would find "immense rewards" when he stood down, particularly from lucrative speaking engagements, books and directorships.
Asked if Blair should run for UN secretary general, Clinton, 59, said: "That would suit me. He would be a good one."
The current secretary general Kofi Annan's term in office ends on December 31 this year.
Blair, who has not indicated when he will make way for his expected successor, finance minister Gordon Brown, said last week he was likely to go nearer the next general election than sooner.
Westminster observers have pencilled in 2008 as the earliest date Blair will hand Brown the keys to Downing Street and he is thought to be keen to secure another leading role on the world stage.
Clinton, who set up the Clinton Foundation to campaign on issues such as the fight against HIV/Aids and promoting racial, ethnic and religious harmony, said Blair may wish to tread a similar path.
"What I would say to him and what I have said to him -- I saw him actually last month -- is that, when he does go, he's still got a lot he can do, a lot of good you can do in the world and that's the most important thing," he told the BBC's flagship political programme "Newsnight".
"I think there are lots of things you can do. You can... take a position, or you can do what I do -- just create your own operation and try to find some public good you can do as a private citizen.
"This has been an immensely rewarding phase of my life and I think he will find immense rewards when his service is done."
Ultimately, however, the choice was for Blair, he added.
In the interview, Clinton also called for a "delicate" approach to Iran in the ongoing row over the Islamic Republic's nuclear ambitions.
He said there was "probably no choice" but to seek sanctions against Iran via the UN Security Council but doubted his successor George W. Bush would embark on military action, praising him for his "restraint" on the matter.
On Iraq, Clinton said he expected a "not insubstantial" withdrawal of US troops from Iraq during 2007 but special forces were likely to remain in the Gulf for longer.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=sto...13/wl_uk_afp/britainusunpolitics_060113234322
I am not to sure about this. If he became a Secretary General his role would be compromised for his 'back-role' to the Americans. But it would be interesting none the less.
Wish I was the United Nations Secretary General.
I would get all the babes, and a ton of dough. :lol:
