Shashi Tharoor For UN Secretary General

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<b>Shashi Tharoor withdraws from race]</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->  <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->

India's Shashi Tharoor today withdrew from the race for the post of United Nations Secretary General after South Korea's Ban Ki-Moon emerged the winner of the fourth straw poll.

Announcing his withdrawal, Tharoor said the 62-year-old Ban was a clear winner and is going to be the next Secretary General succeeding Kofi Annan.

Tharoor, the UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, got ten votes in favour while three casted negative votes in the 15-member security council. Two others said they have no opinion.

<b>Among the three negative votes casted against him, one was from a permanent member, which would translate into a veto in a formal vote</b>.

Tharoor said he sent a letter of congratulations to Ban on his success. He also thanked the Indian government for nominating him for the coveted post.
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