MOSCOW, July 10. /TASS/. There is no alternative to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the moment, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said in an open interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman.
The diplomat pointed out that Guterres has not declared his intentions to seek reelection for now. "I, for one, since there is no our position for we don’t know the main condition, I would not be against seeing him continue activity as Secretary-General for a second term," Nebenzya said. "Firstly, the best is the enemy of the good, as we know. Secondly, the secretary-general certainly enjoys huge prestige, has an enormous experience that he acquired back in the position of high commissioner for refugees, when he traveled across the globe, visiting the most remote, most challenging parts of the world," the diplomat said. "When you are speaking to him, he is ready to speak for hours about what is going on in certain countries of Africa, anywhere, in Syria, in Southeast Asia. He indeed knows this in detail. He is certainly an intellectual, a well-read person, he is a politician," Nebenzya went on to say. "I don’t see an obvious alternative to him today," he said, adding that anyway it would be premature to speak about this since the scenario was not yet known.
If Guterres refuses to seek reelection for some reason, then there will be a point for discussion. "If he runs, I am sure for some reason that certainly most countries will support him," the diplomat added.
The UN secretary-general is elected for the term of five years with a possibility to be re-elected. There are no restrictions as to the number of terms, but up to now, nobody has held the position longer than ten years. Antonio Guterres assumed the post of Secretary-General on January 1, 2017, his term in office expires on December 31, 2021.