Grossi expressed hope for a quick decision on the candidacy of the new UN Secretary General

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he hopes for a relatively quick decision on the candidacy of a new UN Secretary General and does not yet consider the process of selecting the head of the world organization to be overly prolonged.

"I don't think the process, at least for now, has taken too long. We hope for a relatively quick decision," Grossi said.

He noted the special responsibility of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, who have the right of veto. At the same time, ten non-permanent members of the Security Council, representing a wider range of states, also participate in the process.

According to Grossi, it is difficult to assess the progress of the consultations because they take place behind closed doors.

“If you remember, the last time this happened was around the same time - in early autumn, in October. We hope that the wait is not too long now,” he added.

Members of the UN Security Council conduct a preliminary vote to select a candidate for the post of Secretary General and recommend him to the UN General Assembly, which, according to the Charter of the international organization, officially appoints the Secretary General. Voting in the Security Council is secret.

The procedure is closed: in the ballots of Security Council members, three assessment options are provided for each candidate - “I support”, “I do not support” or “abstains”. Official results are not published, but scores are shared confidentially with the states that nominate candidates.

According to the results of the fourth indicative vote, ex-Vice President of Costa Rica Rebeca Greenspan received the most votes in support, a source told RIA Novosti.

The candidates to become the next UN Secretary-General are Carolyn Rodriguez-Birkett of Guyana, Rebekah Greenspan of Costa Rica, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, Macky Sall of Senegal, Olara Otunnu of Uganda and Yvonne Baqui of Ecuador.