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Kentuckians for VVF

June 22, 2006

Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga has not said she is interested in the job of general secretary of the United Nations. Her name is not among the declared candidates. And even if she were a candidate to replace Kofi Annan, it would not be surprising to see Russia—a member of the Security Council—use its veto to nix the chances of the pesky president of Latvia.

But at least she has the support of folks in Kentucky, according to a lengthy article in The Courier-Journal of Louisville.

“An international campaign has been launched to make the next U.N. chief a woman,” writes James R. Carroll in the June 18 article. “Vīķe-Freiberga is among those being promoted by Equality Now, as is Mynamar’s democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest by the junta that rules that country. Vīķe-Freiberga has a foot in the door at the U.N. already. Last year, she was named special envoy to the secretary general on reform of the world body.”

Among the Kentuckians who said they think the Latvian president would be a good choice to head the United Nations were Catherine Todd Bailey, the U.S. ambassador to Latvia, and Sen. Mitch McConnell.

Thanks to Pēteris Burģelis for alerting us to the story.

— Andris Straumanis